Creating Havoc
by xLevitate
Summary: Precarious positions are what Lena knows best, but even choosing from carrying out her brother's dreams and freedom from Bane is a little much for even her to bear alone. (TDKR ; eventual BlakexOC)
1. Chapter 1

**Story rated "M" for: Graphic violence, strong sexual content, explicit language, and mature content. If you are not interested in reading a story containing these themes, you may want to find something different.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Nolanverse, only my OCs and backstories provided for those who had none. I gain nothing but enjoyment while writing this.**

**Updating schedule: Sporadic**

* * *

Lena Dura didn't know anything about the city they were in; the strange smells that filled the air and the loud chatter of the people were a shock to her system when compared to the near solitude she had been accustomed to for the past four years. It reminded her of a little undeveloped London, a place that had been her home for two years before she came into her brother's and Bane's graces. Since then she had never been in a city such as this. She ventured out of their little home from time to time but the villages that she went to were tiny and therefore didn't produce such sounds, smells, and sights as the one they were in now.

Alexei and Barsad walking in front of her were clearly unbothered by the crowded street. They pushed their way through, clearing a path that she could follow with little difficulty if she kept on their heels. People seemed to part for them as if they could see in their eyes that there was more than a few travel maps and binoculars in the backpacks strapped to their backs. Lena could feel their eyes flicker to her but knew that they were not associating the two men with her. They certainly looked like two different parties in more than what was in their eyes.

While Alexei and Barsad were dressed in neutral tones of brown and green to better blend in with the desert environment that surrounded them, Lena wore a simple tanned dress and a straw hat to keep the sun from her face. She looked like a regular tourist. Her brother and Barsad did not. She stumbled on loose rocks that paved the street while Alexei and Barsad walked fluidly with a purpose, their thick boots crushing dirt clots that were below them from time to time. Of course, she was dressed this way for a reason.

Despite the appearance of not being together though, they were. All three were part of Bane's reformed League of Shadows though they each held a different purpose. Barsad and Alexei were far too prominent and more so in Bane's favor than she which might have explained how they looked more professional than she. Not that she cared; Lena had no desire to be in Bane's tightly knit circle more so than she already was. She was in it just enough to be trained, fed, and kept alive. While that hadn't been enough for Alexei four years ago, it was certainly enough for her and had been all this time.

Lena began to walk a little faster so that she was closer to Alexei and Barsad. Being separated from them was not an option at the moment. She would certainly lose them in the crowd and there was no telling what would happen if that were to be so. Not only would they not find the man they were looking for but they would lose precious time trying to find each other rather than focusing on Bane's orders. Neither option looked good. She sped up more.

Alexei reached behind him, his hand searching for his sister's and she grabbed it, allowing herself to be pulled to the left with him as Barsad went right. He yanked her forward with as much tenderness as he could manage and she moved to walk alongside him rather than behind him. His grip never left her wrist. "We decided to split up to look for Pavel," he spoke, his thick accent jumbling together some of the English that he spoke. Even though his accent was thicker than her own, he always enjoyed speaking English when it was possible, claiming to love the way the words sounded in his throat. "Barsad has his location narrowed down to two different hotels."

Lena looked up to the sun to gauge the time. "Are Barsad's sources accurate? We don't have much time left before the curfew is enacted. We won't be able to leave the city in time to make it back to Bane at the time he wants us to."

Alexei shrugged and his shoulder pushed against a man who was walking the opposite way of him. "Barsad seems to trust him. If we're wrong, we'll just have to keep trying until we're right." He smiled a little and she looked up at him in curiosity. What about this was funny? "This reminds me of when Glennis and I went to the American Embassy and killed the ambassador for funding gangs that exploited the poor."

Lena frowned, recalling the story Alexei told her once he came back from the mission. "The one that you said you killed in front of his children? You know I hate when you bring that story up. Remember how you felt when Mom and Dad died?"

"That wasn't the same!" He spat out. Lena bit her lip as he visibly stiffened, his grip on her wrist getting a little tighter as his eyes flamed in a simmering anger. "Our parents didn't deserve what happened to them while that American did. Bane's orders were to kill him in front of his children so that they would not commit the same crime and so that the ambassador would know the pain of the people who suffered from the gang he funded. He asked for that."

Sighing, Lena dropped it, knowing that no matter what she said, Alexei would feel no different. She loved her brother more than anything. The two of them were the only family the other had. No matter how close they were though Lena could never understand the depth of loyalty Alexei had for Bane. The only form of gratitude Lena could offer the masked mercenary was for bringing her and her brother back together after being separated for so many years. That alone was the extent of appreciation she could muster for the man. Lena was loyal to him for that reason alone but she would never look upon him like Alexei did.

Alexei, however, was a far different story. Ever since they officially joined Bane's League of Shadows four years ago, he had viewed Bane as a god and nothing less. Bane was practically worshiped. Lena had learned over the years that it was best to not say anything. She had already lost her brother once; she didn't want to lose him again now that she had him back.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to agree with what he was saying about the American. Yes she agreed that the man should have been punished for his illegal dallying with the criminal underworld but didn't think that his actions warranted such a severe death sentence. Lena shivered as she recalled Alexei's detailed depictions of slicing the man's abdomen open, forcing him to bleed out while his children were forced to watch. The image it had procured in her nightmares still haunted her to this day. It just wasn't… right. She had been too young to remember the murder of their parents in detail – though Alexei had spared none when he explained what had happened years later – and she couldn't imagine how scarred the children were. To do that to such innocence was more than cruel.

Lena didn't know when it was that Alexei had changed so much. He looked the same as he always had: dark brown hair that fell in a shag to his shoulders, large dark brown eyes with long lashes, strong jaw that clenched constantly when he was thinking about something important, and the same light freckles that ran across the bridge of his nose. There were minor changes of course – the scar that ran over his eyebrow was certainly different, as were the bulging muscles that came from years of combat, and the burn mark on his left forearm that came from his first mission from Bane was worrisome. All in all, he looked relatively the same. He just acted different.

"This is the place," Alexei said, stopping right in front of a clay building with Arabic words just above the door. While Lena had been fine simply learning Arabic, Alexei knew how to read it perfectly. They both knew English, French, and their native tongue (Russian) and both knew how to write in those languages; but Alexei had strove to learn to read in write in various other languages as well – German, Italian, Spanish, and a few words from the Chinese language. So was the extent Alexei had taken to impress Bane. "Are you ready, Lena? All you need to do is find out his room number and I will take care of the rest."

She nodded. Reaching up, she took off her hat and shook her thick brown hair out. She wouldn't admit it to Alexei but she was a little frightened. Bane had never given her such a responsibility before. While she had participated in a few raids and what not, she knew that finding Dr. Pavel was of the upmost importance to him. If she were to mess this up… Lena shivered even though the temperature of the crowded market was stifling. She didn't even want to think about it.

Alexei patted her on the back before drawing her into a hug. The smell of sand and smoke filled her senses as she wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. Ever since they were children, any time they were to separate they would give each other a hug. Call it paranoia but Lena felt that it was a way to say _goodbye_ just in case something happened to one of them. Before she thought the hugs a little daunting, sensing finality in them that she didn't want to think about. Now? They brought comfort to her, reminding her that she always had someone who loved her.

Lena pulled away and stepped through the curtains into the hotel lobby. With her hat tucked under her arm, she walked up to the Arabic gentleman behind the counter who smiled at her as she neared. _"How may I help you?"_ He asked helpfully, the smile bright against his darkened skin. He looked friendly enough even without the smile.

_"Yes, I am looking for Doctor Pavel. He told me that he was staying here and is expecting me." _She replied and placed her hands on top of one another on the counter. The clerk's eyes washed up and down what parts of her body he could see in appraisal. Barsad had always told her that she, despite not being able to contribute much to Bane's cause, was kept around simply for reasons such as this.

Unlike some of the others, she _looked_ trustworthy. The long, dark brown waves with the wide and light brown eyes appeared innocent, childlike even. She looked younger than her twenty-three years; especially when combined with the effect of lips that were too full for her prominent chin and wide forehead. Not exactly pretty – more or less strange and striking. Still, the youthful appearance gave those around her the notion that she was someone to be taken care of, someone to be coddled, trusted, and above all, believed.

Lena also had the advantage – or disadvantage depending on how one saw it – of being on the short side of life. She was only five foot five (that was short for her, Alexei towering a full foot taller than she). Despite the fact that her facial features had an undeveloped feel to them, her figure was certainly that of a young woman – wide hips and shoulders, narrow waist, a slight pocket of fat around the stomach and thighs. Soft with womanly curves. Her arms were more muscular and her legs more toned than her upper body but she still had a nice feminine shape to her.

"_And he did not think to give you the number of his room?" _He asked, not suspiciously, but conversationally, stuck between wanting to trust her and not. Still, Lena looked carefully at his eyes and saw that there was no scrutiny in them, only curiosity. Perhaps he was trusting her as planned.

_"He did, but I didn't write it down and realized once I arrived that I had completely forgotten what number he said."_ She laughed fakely. Was she going too far with this charade? It felt horribly acted out to her. _"Normally, I remember but not this time."_

The man seemed to believe her lie, nodding his head as his smile grew a bit wider. _"Doctor Pavel did not inform me that he was expecting a companion. Perhaps he was embarrassed to speak of such things. We get a lot of girls like you here so he shouldn't be so private about it."_ He chuckled. _"Quite honestly, I never expected a man like that to pay for companionship. Then again, it is no business of mine. Do you have any identification?_"

It took Lena a moment to realize that the clerk was assuming that she was a prostitute. When she did, she naturally almost corrected him but stopped herself. This could be an easy way to get into Pavel's room. She smiled. This was going easier than even she expected. _"Pavel is a private man indeed. He asked for me to be as discreet as possible. Men like him often become uncomfortable with others knowing of their private affairs."_

_"I must tell you, I have not seen the man all day. He might not even be in his room. Would you like for me to check on him before you go upstairs_?" He asked, completely forgetting that she had yet to show him her identification.

She shook her head. _"I wouldn't want you to leave your post,"_ Lena smiled some more, her cheeks going numb. _"Besides, I would not want Pavel to be unsettled. I do need to keep up an appearance of being private – I'm sure you understand. Perhaps knowing that you know of my services would make him so. If you would be so kind to give me the room number, I would be glad to go to his room personally."_

He thought for a moment then motioned for her to wait a moment. The clerk opened one of his many books and flipped through before landing on a page that he had sought. _"Dr. Pavel will be just up the stairs and the third door on the left side. Shouldn't be too difficult to find, I'm sure. I won't speak of seeing you if you don't speak of me telling you where his room is. I, too, value the privacy of my customers and have a similar reputation amongst my clients," _he added after recognizing that Pavel might be a little upset that he just handed out room numbers on whims.

_"I can assure you, my lips are sealed." _She smiled broadly at him and grabbed her hat, backing away from the counter to move towards the stairs. _"Thank you for your help. I appreciate it more than you can imagine._" Lena put her hat back on, a signal to Alexei that she had gotten the room. He would be looking through the curtains, waiting on her to go up the stairs before walking inside as well to follow her.

The walkway was lit by the large, open windows on one side, directly across from the doors that led into the rooms. Lena could tell by looking at the dirtied, sometimes broken doors and cracked walls that Pavel had chosen not to stay in an expensive, more comfortable hotel. Perhaps he thought that this would knock Bane off of his tail. Grimly, she frowned a little. What did Bane want with the scientist anyway? Silently, she hoped that Pavel was indeed alone in his room. She knew from their intel that he had left his wife and children but she still was not a hundred percent trustful of that information.

Obviously, Bane was not either: he had told her that if there were anyone else in the room to kill them as well. He had said to leave a child alive if they were members of Pavel's family. For _motivation_, she saw in Bane's hard brown eyes. She knew very well the reason why Bane wanted at least one member of Pavel's family alive. What he was planning to do with Pavel must have been something that the scientist would never agree to do under different circumstances.

Lena had already stopped at the third door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Alexei's shadowy figure still hidden in the staircase, waiting for the perfect moment to come forward once the door was opened. Working her jaw nervously, Lena took in a deep and rather shaky breath before returning her attention back once more to the door in front of her. Lifting her hand, she rapped her knuckles against it twice and then dropped her arm by her side to wait for Pavel.

She heard the shuffling of footsteps coming towards her. Her eyes shifted away from the tiny peephole directly in front of her face, knowing that he would look through it first. _"I do not want any visitors,_" the scientist said from inside the room in broken Arabic. So he wasn't going to just open the door for her. Smart man.

_"I am looking for Alexei," _Lena replied in Georgian, playing the part of a confused tourist. Hopefully he didn't speak Greek or else she would be in trouble.

_"I am sorry but I do not understand you_," he returned, his voice muffled by the door. Lena let out a sigh of relief – thank goodness he didn't. _"Please, go away."_

Lena knocked on the door again, bunching her eyebrows together in confusion. Alexei had always told her she was a good actress. _"Alexei? Alexei? I am looking for Alexei, is he in there_?"

"No."

_"Alexei?_" Lena knocked again and again, hoping that Pavel would become exasperated and open the door for her. She practically banged on the door once more, praying that the man downstairs would not come up to see what the fuss was about. _"Excuse me? Is Alexei in there? I must speak with him at once. Can you please open the door for me?"_

Pavel must have given up. At last, he opened the door to her just a little, peeking in through the narrow space between the door and the doorframe. His dark green eyes were both annoyed and kind, his lips parting to say something to her when she kicked the door completely open. He was thrown away from it, unsuspecting of her, allowing her the ability to enter the room and launch herself at him. She put her hand over his mouth, covering it so that he could not scream. Mere seconds later, Alexei burst into the small hotel room as well, gun drawn as he kicked the door closed behind him.

_"Dr. Pavel do not scream_," Lena warned him in a low voice. Her eyes darted around the room quickly to make sure they were alone with the exception of Alexei behind her. _"Please, do not scream_," she continued in flawless Russian, Pavel's native tongue. _"Now you _must_ be honest with me: are you alone in here? Nod or shake your head, please." _Pavel's eyes widened but he nodded his head yes. Alexei opened the door to the small bathroom, checking to make sure no one was hiding in. Lena slipped around Pavel to stand behind him and grabbed his hands, hoisting them behind his back. _"Stay quiet or I will be forced to kill you."_

Lena dropped her hand from his mouth to make quick work of getting her scarf off of her neck. Hastily, she wrapped it around his hands before he could get away from her, tying them tightly behind his back. Alexei flipped the brass bed over, checking beneath it but finding nothing but an extra pillow and dirty blanket. Seeing that there was no closet, he went to look out the tiny window to signal to see if there was anyone running away from the hotel.

"I am going to get Barsad," Alexei spoke to Lena as her hand covered Pavel's mouth again. He pushed away from the window to head back to the door. "Lock the door and I'll knock before coming back in. Make sure _he_ stays here and keep him quiet." She nodded at the orders and he left, closing the door firmly. Lena pushed Pavel into a chair before heading over to the wooden door and locking it just like he asked.

"Please, you must let me go." Pavel begged her in English this time, seeing that she spoke it as well. Lena had a talent for linguists ever since she had been forced to learn Georgian and Russian while living in the orphanage when she was younger. Her native tongue of Abkhaz had been lost to her but Alexei still spoke some, though it was muffled by Bane's teachings of Arabic and most recently, English, the language he instructed them to speak for an upcoming mission.

Lena faced him. Pavel looked at her with defeated eyes, the broken face of a man who had finally been caught after running for so long. "Did you really think that Bane would not find you?" She asked, though not cruelly. At the words, Pavel broke out into a loud, gut-wrenching sob, one that pulled at Lena's heartstrings so strongly that she had to look away.

"He – he wants to use me for horrible things. If you had any idea of what it was –"

"I don't want to know." Lena said coolly, just wanting him to be quiet. "I just… I can't let you go, Dr. Pavel. I don't expect you to understand and you may very well hate me but no, I can't simply let you go. Please – just _be_ quiet. Bane only said to return you to him; he said nothing about the condition in which you are to be returned." She crossed her arms over her chest, peeking out the peephole for Alexei and Barsad to return.

"Bane." Pavel broke the silence with a soft whisper, his voice thickening with held back sobs. Lena instinctively turned when he spoke as if the two were having a sort of conversation and she watched as he swallowed down his tears to lift his eyes once more to hers. "How – How did he find me? I was so careful."

Lena's heart and eyes softened. She would not let him go – that would be suicide. But would it hurt to speak to him just a little? Bane had instructed her not to but…looking at Pavel now made her so sad for him that she just wanted to hug him and free him and lie to Alexei and Barsad. She could do it; Pavel must be right after all. She figured that Bane wanted the scientist for something he had discovered in research, though she did not know the specifics of it. She could untie him, let him hit her on the head…

No. Lena forced herself to stop that train of thought. She could – and would – do no such thing.

"You were careful," Lena said, deciding that while she was not going to set him free, she would at least do the right thing and answer his questions. Looking away to keep from having to meet his pleading, begging eyes, she continued, "but there is no such thing as being careful enough when it comes to Bane."

* * *

The next day, Lena was in an outfit that had mirrored Barsad's and Alexei's. No more was it a khaki dress, she was out of those civilian clothes and in khaki pants, laced combat boots, and a black fitted long-sleeved shirt. She trailed in behind her brother and Barsad as they dragged Pavel's unconscious body inside Bane's bedroom, throwing him down not too gently on the stone floor before him. The door behind Lena was shut firmly, the sound an ominous reflection of the coldness that possessed her leader as the noise echoed in the bare room.

Bane rose from his iron wrought bed, the squeaks of a cheap mattress making Lena cringe when mixed with the heavy noise of his breathing. Lena never had the opportunity to know Bane when he was not in the mask. She did not know him before it or when he first wore it. To her, Bane without the mask…was not Bane. The heavy, claw like contraption took up almost his whole face, giving him the appearance of a robot; something not human.

It only terrified her that much more.

His boots were heavy as they met the floor. Lena looked up from Pavel's body lying in between Alexei and Barsad to Bane's cargo-clad legs up to the heavy clasped belt around his waist, then to the broad expanse of his bare and hairless chest. The hardened muscles beneath the tough skin worked as he crossed his arms, the bulge of his shoulders and arms expanding as he did so. Bane, no matter what he wore or did not wear, was still the image of imposing and daunting terror.

"So I see you were able to bring him back," Bane spoke, the strange accent of his enhanced by the mask. Lena reflexively bowed her head once more out of respect, almost as if she were a peasant and he a King. Quickly, she darted her eyes up to stop herself from lowering into a bow – she couldn't help it. Something about Bane brought out an odd side to her, one that she did not understand herself. Alexei never seemed to treat him like that and he was enamored with Bane.

"We did," Barsad dropped his arms by his sides as he addressed Bane. "Lena was able to successfully gain access into the hotel room Pavel was staying in. We extracted Pavel with perfect compliance and no scrutiny by anyone. He complied with our demands with the request that his family not be harmed."

"Lena," Bane's eyes went to hers and Alexei stepped to the side, "come closer, my child." Lena looked to Barsad, and then to Alexei, both of whom did not look at her as she stepped forward. Her legs buckled beneath her as she came up in between the two men directly in front of the man that she was most terrified of. "Did you promise Dr. Pavel that you would secure the safety of his family in return of this _perfect compliance_?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, I made no such promises. I merely insinuated that if Dr. Pavel did not submit to us that there would be consequences. I believe my words were: _Bane only said for us to return you. He said nothing about the condition in which you are to be returned_. Or something to that effect." Lena kept her eyes clear of guilt, knowing that even though what she said was true, Bane would continue scrutinizing her until he was satisfied with her answer.

"And did he ask you any questions?"

"Dr. Pavel was curious as to how we found him," Lena cleared her throat to stop the shaking. "I told him that while he was careful, there is no such thing as being too careful when it comes to Bane wanting to find you. That is all."

Bane's imposing height made her crane her neck just slightly to see him as he nodded his head, seemingly approving of her answers. Lena quickly stepped back behind Alexei and Barsad as if using them as a shield to buffer her interactions with him. Barsad's hands were behind his back and when she stepped past him, he reached out slightly, and she placed her fingertips against his palm just slightly. He knew that she was not exactly _comfortable _speaking with Bane even though he didn't understand why she felt that way.

Just as she dropped her touch from his, Bane said to Alexei, "go fetch a bucket of water for our friend, Dr. Pavel here." Without another word, Alexei turned and left the room, leaving the door open. Bane turned his eyes back to Lena who clenched her fists behind her back nervously, digging her nails into the rough skin of her hands. "So, you were able to gain access into Pavel's room without suspicion? You are to be commended for that – most others would barge in and attract too much attention to themselves."

Lena gave a slight nod of her head in appreciation. Barsad took it upon himself to reply Bane's kind words, "She showed impeccable intuition and was quick in her thinking. Alexei explained how she was able to enter the room and I have to say, her methods were impressive."

She blushed, her cheeks burning. "It was nothing, honestly. Pavel and the hotel clerk made it very easy for me, and I merely went along with it."

"Nonetheless," Bane continued as Alexei returned carrying a large pail, "you did well." Taking the heavy-looking container from Alexei, Bane turned it upside down on Dr. Pavel's face, water splashing on the stone floor as the man choked, eyes going wide as he was literally torn from unconsciousness. Sputtering, Pavel flipped onto his stomach, raising himself upon his knees and hands as he coughed continuously, expelling water from his lungs as Bane watched.

Bane handed the now empty pail to Alexei. "Ah, Dr. Pavel. How thoughtful of you to join us. I hope that your trip here was not uncomfortable."

On the floor, Pavel coughed one last time before sucking in one deep breath. "It certainly was as uncomfortable as any trip one does not want to go on could be." He sat back on his heels, shoulders slumping in exhaustion as he looked up at Bane, wincing at the resilient sight of the man – and monster – before him. Pavel dropped his head shamefully.

"You ran from me – why?" Bane asked in a thundering tone. Not only did Pavel wince, but Lena and the two men in front of her did as well. "You thought you could disappear from me, no? Tell me, Pavel, how did that work? Did you honestly believe that you would be able to evade my men and me? I thought you were a brilliant man; a man of logic yet you attempted to _run_ and _hide _from _me_."

"I-I-" Pavel stuttered but nothing else passed his lips as he held back sobs once more. Lena recognized the sound, similar to that of a kicked dog and had the urge to run towards him and pick him up off of the floor so that he could face Bane fully. Then again, _she_ would not want to face Bane when he was angry either.

"You have caused more problems for me and my men than I expected. I believed you to have more concern for your family than yourself, but it appears that I was wrong." Pavel's head shot upwards to look at Bane; Lena could feel the betrayal exuding off of the scientist as he looked at Bane. "No, no, I have not harmed any more of your family. I do know where they are, but I did not harm them. You are very lucky I chose not to punish them for your carelessness. You are also lucky in your escape alerted the United States' FBI to your presence – they want you."

Pavel's head dropped back down as did his shoulders. "What would the FBI want with me? I am no terrorist."

"No; but you have the potential to be." Bane turned away from them, making his way to the door off on the left side of the room that lead to a bathroom. "We leave tomorrow to hand you over to them. Naturally, they do not know that it is _us_ and we intend to keep it that way." He stopped and turned again. "Lock him away. He is to see no one."

He shut the door firmly behind him and Lena heard the faint twisting of knobs and water spraying onto a tiled floor. Alexei and Barsad grabbed Pavel's arms, hoisting him up onto his feet. Turning him towards the door, they pushed him forward none too gently and Lena caught him before he fell into her. His eyes met her, a look of betrayal in them before she stepped to the side, nudging him out of the door and following him.

Barsad eventually took the front, Alexei and Lena in the back to make sure Pavel would not try to turn and run. Where would he go anyway? He did not know where he was and could not dream to make it out of a place sprawling with Bane's men. Pavel followed Barsad with a hung head, the prodding of Alexei's hand speeding him up every now and then when he began to falter from keeping close to Barsad.

Leading them to the back of the small compound in which they lived, Barsad opened a heavy door. He stepped to the side, allowing Pavel to enter the room by himself. Lena saw nothing but a bed and small bathroom area. Nothing else in the sparse bedroom. Pavel immediately went to the bed, sitting down slowly and not meeting the three's eyes as Barsad closed the door. He took out a key from his pocket and locked the door before sticking the key back inside.

"We retrieved him only to turn him over to the FBI?" Lena asked quietly, knowing that while she could not exactly speak freely around these two, she could somewhat relax her tongue. She checked down the other end of the hall to make sure no one had followed. If anyone else knew that she was questioning Bane there would be hell to pay. For both her and the two men she was close to.

"It is only part of a much larger plan," Alexei explained to her even though he knew just as much as she did on the subject. He placed a large hand on her shoulder, "do not fret. I am sure Bane does not intend to let Americans _keep_ Pavel."

"Have you ever known Bane to simply give up in that manner? Trust us – trust _him_, Lena, and know that your work will go neither unrewarded nor unrecognized." Barsad smiled at her. "Bane is very proud of you. He is pleased with your effort and improvisation of capturing Pavel. He knows that without you, this would not have been so simple and easy."

Lena looked down at her wrists and tugged at the sleeves of her black shirt. _"Will Pavel be safe?"_ She asked in Georgian, wary of curious ears that might be around them. This time, she looked to Alexei to answer her.

He shrugged. _"If it is Bane's desire to keep him safe, then yes. Why? Have you grown attached to the scientist?"_ Alexei's eyes both hardened and squinted in scrutiny. Barsad, not knowing Georgian and therefore not comprehending the exchange, placed a hand on Alexei's shoulder in an effort to relax Alexei's tensing muscles. _"To do so would be to place yourself in a very difficult position, sister. You must use your brain!"_

_"I have not done anything of the sort, Alexei. I was merely asking about his safety. Is that such a crime to warrant suspicion?"_

_"It is when it comes from you. Do not do anything stupid. Just follow orders like everyone else."_

Lena's temper nearly flared but she managed to hold it back. The words that she wanted to scream back into his face were caught by her tongue and self-preservation. Alexei was fiercely loyal to her because of familial bonds, but she knew that he was also very close with Bane. Her doubts were not echoed in his own and she did not want to cause him problems by expressing the opinion that she thought he was stupid for blindingly following Bane like he was asking for her to.

Alexei shook his head and walked away, leaving her and Barsad as he went to sulk somewhere. No matter how hard he tried, Alexei would never be able to shake Lena into being completely loyal to Bane and Bane's missions as he was. He had tried many times, and each attempt was met with meek failure. Lena was only with Bane for Alexei and would remain so because of him. She had been separated from her sole surviving family member for far too long and refused to let this man come in between them to rip them apart.

Barsad looked at her curiously. "Is Alexei all right?" Lena – her eyes still watching Alexei's retreating figure – merely nodded. He would be fine. After he went to the gym and punched a few men, he would get over this anger he had towards her and everything would be all right again. That was how it always was between the two. At least, that was how it had been ever since they joined Bane.

"He's just…a little upset with me at the moment." Lena looked back at Barsad, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's new?" She chuckled a little.

Barsad pushed back his shortly cut brown hair before draping his arm across her shoulders. Pulling her into his side, he turned them both towards the direction Alexei had gone – the only other way out of the hallway. "I don't think I can stress enough what the image of your taking control of Pavel does to me," he whispered into her ear.

Lena's cheeks burned as he pressed a small kiss on her cheek. "Perhaps you can show me?" She asked innocently, grasping his hand on her shoulder and shrugging it off so that she could hold on to it more easily. Stopping at the door to her bedroom, she smiled at him and he returned it knowingly before she pulled him inside.

In the privacy of the bedroom, Lena felt herself being turned by Barsad to be pressed against the door roughly, his hands quickly going into her hair as he met her lips with his own, searing her with a fierce kiss that was full of desire and need. Lena grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled him closer to her, into her, all around her, squeezing his skin through the thin shirt he wore so that he could feel her nails pierce her skin. One of his knees wormed in between her own, and she opened her stance so that he could press his thigh against her.

Moaning at the pleasing pressure, her leg hiked up to drape around his hip. Her teeth playfully nicked his bottom lip as his fingers twisted into her waves tightly. Growling when she drew blood, Barsad leaned away abruptly, the warmth of his chest against her own causing her to frown. Instead of stopping, he grasped her shoulders and turned her around facing away from him, pushing her against the door again. Lena's hands braced herself against the paneling so that her head didn't bash into the hard surface and she was just about to complain when she felt his lips on her neck.

Lena's hands formed tight fists as she arched her neck, giving him plenty of room as his lips and teeth attacked the thin, gentle skin. Gasping, she ground against him and his fervor increased, one of his hands reaching through the gap between her stomach and the door to shoot upwards underneath her shirt. He groped her, Lena's eyes squeezing closed as she groaned, her forehead dropping to rest against the door.

She grinded against him harder and harder, eliciting a grunt from Barsad as he pressed his hips closer to her own. His hand that was not under her shirt shot down her pants, immersing itself instantly in her drenched underwear as he rubbed two of his fingers up and down her slit with little pressure. Lena let out a sharp breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding in and he smirked against her skin. _"Please don't tease,_" she said in the most natural language that came to her – Georgian – in a breathless voice, prompting yet another smirk.

Barsad complied with her plead and pushed aside her underwear, skillfully slipping one long finger inside of her. Lena sucked in sharp breath that then came out as a long, low groan as he added another. Clenching her inner muscles around him, Lena squeezed her eyes closed; rubbing even harder against him so that he would give her the pleasure she so dutifully sought from him.

She groaned as he rubbed against that spot that he knew made her go wild. Her knees went weak, legs wobbling as she struggled to continue standing. Hissing to keep from screaming, she put one hand that was on the door in Barsad's hair to pull him to her neck, commanding him in her own way to keep kissing her there. She let go only to slam it back against the door when he brushed against that spot again. Her breath came out in short pants, nails digging into her skin as she was worked towards that fantastic, blissful release she craved.

Her other hand reached behind her, in between both of their hips to grip his length through his cargo pants. His hips bucked into hers and he bit her neck. Trying to fight against her own haze of pleasure, Lena worked her hand in between his own pants to find him in his boxers. Gripping him tightly, she ran her hands down him, her fingers squeezing not too gently or too roughly.

"_Don't stop_," she whispered before breaking off into a small squeal. Her legs were quaking now, stomach tightening as her whole body flushed a reddish color. She was on fire. Her whole body sweaty and warm and desperate. Lena could feel her release coming sooner than she expected – it had been so long since the two of them had a private moment together. Lena wanted nothing more than to feel all of him inside of her but at the same time didn't want him to stop.

Barsad pushed his hips against hers harder and she bit her lip as he sped up his ministrations, his hand nearly assaulting her lower body in the most pleasurable way possible.

Finally, she snapped. Her jaw dropped; her eyes squeezed so tightly that it almost hurt; and her whole body began to throb. She tensed, back arching just slightly as she let out one long breath as she experienced the sensation of bursting into bliss. Lena collapsed against Barsad, clutching onto his arm wrapped around her front for stability as her legs shook. He grunted, experiencing his own release as well, and managed to stagger back a few steps so that the two could call against the bed.

Lena withdrew her hand covered in his fluid to rest it against his chest as she flipped over, smiling as she laid her head against them, trying to catch her breath as her body began to calm down. Barsad put both of his hands beside him on the bed and eventually, Lena rolled over so that he could get up and clean himself. Lying down on her bed, Lena watched with half-closed eyes as Barsad tossed her a small towel from her bathroom and she caught it, quickly wiping her hand clean before grabbing her pillow and putting it beneath her head.

A few minutes later, just as Lena was about to fall asleep, Barsad came out of the bathroom. She opened her eyes just long enough to see him look over at her. "I'll come by and wake you up when Alexei and I go get something to eat. It shouldn't be too long." She nodded in response before closing her eyes again, slipping into sleep where she didn't have to think about Bane or Pavel or odd relationships with Bane's men.

* * *

**Note: This story is NOT a pure lemon piece. Eventual OCxBlake romance.**


	2. Chapter 2

Lena winced as she rolled her shoulder to work out the soreness that was building up. Beside her, Alexei held a larger rifle than the one she currently had in her hands, his eyes expectant as he held it out to her once more. She frowned looking down at it, but sighed and placed the rifle she had in her hand on the small table. Lena glared at Alexei but took his offering. "I don't understand why you keep getting the bigger ones. I'm not going to be able to control them and you know it."

"Ironic," Alexei commented with a small laugh, "considering that normally the bigger ones are steadier and therefore easier." He stepped behind her to position her shoulders. "Stand broad, widen your legs a little," he ordered and lightly kicked one of her ankles. Lena spread them and positioned one just slightly in front of the other like he had instructed earlier. "Good, now keep your grip tight. Don't let it fly around everywhere."

"It's so… _heavy_," she complained as she put it against the indentation of her shoulder where it belonged. Finger resting against the trigger, she closed one eye and aimed with the other, straight down the long barrel and to the little orange dot. Her arms were wavering, unsteady as she tried to position it over the bull's-eye on the wooden plank positioned a yard away from her. She couldn't get it to simply _stay_ on the target and gave up, pulling her finger back and firing the weapon. The kick of the shot rammed the end of the gun into her shoulder and she hissed a little at the powerfulness of it.

Alexei waited until she had the gun down before walking forward to inspect her shot as if he was afraid she would shoot _him_. Rubbing at her shoulder, Lena was mighty tempted to.

She never had been a good shot – not like Alexei and definitely not like Barsad. Barsad was the best shot she knew, and Alexei was fairly good at it. He was better with fistfights because of his pure brawniness. But Lena? She was not graced with the natural ability at either of those things. Looking down at the gun, she wanted to do nothing more than attempt to break it in half. She couldn't do it but she _could_ slam it up against the wall like a bat.

"You were a little closer but you're still off by a good bit," Alexei said, his voice tinged with light approval. "Not too shabby, I suppose, not for you."

"I bet if I had a live target I'd be better," Lena teased, smiling as he came back towards where she stood. "How about you be a good brother and volunteer? You know, help out your little sister and what not?" She nudged his stomach with her elbow playfully.

"How about I go get Glennis instead? I think we both want you to put a bullet through him," Alexei winked then motioned for her to try again.

Lena groaned. "Again? Alexei, honestly, this is pointless. When am I ever going to have to shoot with a gun that's half my size? It's so..." she looked down at it, "_huge_."

"It is not that big," Alexei said defensively. Sighing, he grabbed it from her and positioned it at his own shoulder. Lena watched as he spaced his feet apart, tightened his grip along the barrel, aimed, and fired in a shorter amount of time than it had taken Lena to even pick up the thing. He put it down then nodded his head towards it. "Go ahead, see how well I did." Lena rolled her eyes but walked forward. When she came upon the bull's-eye painted on the plank, she saw that he had indeed hit the red center. She also saw all of her own attempts in the white surrounding the outside of the bulls-eye itself, one shot in the outer ring the closest she had come.

"Well I see that _my_ shot hit the direct center and yours is over _here_," she pointed at that particular hole and smiled over at Alexei. "Maybe I should be teaching you instead" Dropping her hand, she walked back to the gun and took it from his hands.

"Oh really?" Alexei smirked at her. "All right, this time be serious. Straighten and relax your arms to get more comfortable and _then_ fire. Try to aim a little low, like for the red circle. When you shoot, the bullet tends to curve upward because of the way you jerk the gun around. If you at least get it in the colored portion, we can stop for today."

"I do _not_ jerk the gun around," she mumbled in return but settled into her stance once more. The prospect that this would be the last round thrilled her. For some reason, she always found shooting rather…boring and dull. What was the point of shooting at painted targets when she rarely saw that much action anyway? Lena knew the basics and a bit more when it came to hand-to-hand combat and could throw a knife better than Alexei _and_ Barsad but she only remembered once when she actually shot a gun on a mission.

She couldn't really blame Alexei though. He hadn't been mad at her long the night before but she was still eager to patch things up between them regardless. It was she that had brought up shooting practice and Alexei, ever eager to help Bane further his ambitions – Lena was, after all, one of Bane's mercenaries as well – practically ran both of them to the target room. An hour later and they were still here, Lena's shooting skills improving only minutely.

Lena positioned the gun at her shoulder and aimed once more. This time, she went downward a little, aiming instead for the red ring below the target like Alexei had mentioned. She tensed her arms and pulled the trigger, the end of the gun pushing once more into her already bruised shoulder. Lena dropped the gun and put it on the table, instantly peeling back the collar of her shirt to assess the damage of shooting practice. Sure enough, the skin was red and angry, and in the center it was already starting to purple but that was probably from another target practice a few days ago.

Well _that_ was pretty.

She sighed and re-positioned her shirt, crossing her arms to move towards Alexei who was examining the board. "Well? How did I do? Did I hit the coloring this time or not?"

"Actually, you did," Alexei genuinely sounded happy this time, "you hit the red circle around the target, very close to the bull's-eye itself." He straightened and turned toward her, a huge smile on his face. "Looks like you're not that bad of a shot when you have some motivation to help focus you."

"Imagine how _perfect_ my shot would be if you stood up there instead. Sure you don't to try it?" Lena grinned as he threw his arm around her shoulder, leading her out of the target room and into the hall. Right into a good friend of theirs, Glennis. Lena's grin dropped quickly when she saw his sneer, giving him one of her own as she glared at him. "Glennis," she acknowledged rather coolly, tugging Alexei along to the communal eating room.

"Alexei, Lena," Glennis acknowledged in return. He stopped; facing them even though he had previously been heading towards what she thought was the target room. "I heard that Bane commended you for your ease at getting Pavel out and brining him here."

Alexei stopped, turning to face the middle-aged Russian man. "You heard correctly. Lena did a fine job of getting into Pavel's room and convincing him to come with full obedience. Bane was _very_ impressed, as we all were."

Glennis held one of his shiny revolvers in his hands, cleaning the handle with a washcloth. Lena eyed it suspiciously, tugging at Alexei's arm to signal that she was more than ready to leave Glennis' company. Normally she got along rather well with Bane's henchmen. They were all like Alexei and Barsad though – completely loyal to Bane. But Glennis? He had shown distaste for both she and Alexei ever since they arrived four years earlier. Lena had her suspicions that it was due to Alexei's advancement up Bane's ranks though Alexei believed that it was because Lena was a woman. Whatever the reason, the three had been at odds against the other for years.

"I imagine it was thanks to Lena's art of deception." He smiled though it did not reach his eyes. "She is quite good at that, no?" Alexei's arm tensed beneath her hand at the slight. "I also heard that Pavel was found in a rather seedy hotel, so I assume that it was believed she was a prostitute, no? They frequent places such as that."

"You will do well to shut your mouth, Glennis," Alexei sneered, stepping closer to the man. Lena tried to tug him away, knowing that an altercation would not look good at all. Alexei might be very close to Bane but even he did not have the influence to get out of a punishment that would come with fighting with a fellow mercenary.

"Glennis, leave us be," Lena said while still tugging on Alexei's arm. "Alexei, let's _go_."

"Apparently that is all she's good for," Glennis' cast his eyes down to her, that smile still on his lips. "Bane knows it, the men know it, Barsad _certainly_ knows it…"

Lena gripped Alexei's arm so tightly that her hand began to cramp after a moment. "Alexei. Let's go." She sneered at Glennis, attempting to force herself to walk away so that she did not retaliate – or worse, having _Alexei_ retaliate. Glennis smiled once more at the pair before turning and walking away, disappearing behind the closing door of the target practice room.

Alexei finally turned and stormed away, his face a picture of pure disgust. He lifted both of his hands to his face, wiping at it as if to claw the skin off in his angst. "I _knew_ something like this would happen once you and Barsad began seeing each other. I just _knew_ it."

Following him obediently, Lena remained quiet, looking down at her hands in shame. She really hadn't meant to cause Alexei grief when she and Barsad first starting using each other a year ago. At first, Lena had been terrified to tell Alexei about her and his friend but he eventually figured it out. He refused to talk about, even acknowledge it on most occasions and Lena knew that it must be a little weird to think about. She _was_ his younger sister after all. Barsad was also six years older than she. In Alexei's eyes, she was still a young girl that needed protecting instead of a twenty-three year old woman. He accepted the affair with a quiet air though, not really saying anything about it.

No one else knew about it. Some like Glennis suspected it but she and Barsad were very careful in their doings. Lena had a suspicion that Bane might have been told but he had done nothing about it. In fact, Glennis was the only person to ever mention it too she and Alexei – he _never_ spoke to Barsad about it – and it was only when it was just them. While his snide remarks infuriated her, she had come to expect them. Unlike Alexei, who clearly still became worked up over them.

"I'm sorry, Alexei."

"No you're not." He chuckled without humor.

"No, I really am." She assured him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the ground. "Barsad and I are being as discreet as possible and –"

"I _really_ don't want to hear where this is going." He held up a hand to stop her. "Honestly, that part doesn't frustrate me as much as Glennis knowing does. Just…_be careful_, okay?" She nodded in response and he gave her a small smile. "Come on; let's go get something to eat before we have to take Pavel."

The communal eating area was full of other mercenaries. Being around noon, the men naturally had gravitated towards the smell of food that some men were cooking while others had brought back from local restaurants. Bane did not have a hired cook or anything like that – it wasn't that sort of _job_. Everyone fended for themselves basically when it came to the necessities such as that. He only gave them rigorous training, beds, and a strong sense of purpose.

Lena nodded to a few of the men in acknowledgement, smiling in particular at a few of the women who were also sitting around. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned and saw Abia standing behind her, a wide smile on the woman's face as she wrapped her arms around Lena in a choking hug. "I heard the news! I knew that you would go on to do good things for Bane."

Lena smiled against Abia's neck as she slowly untangled herself from the embrace. "Thank you," she blushed a little, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "I – I tried my best to help advance Bane's plans," Lena lied slightly knowing that while Abia was her close friend, there was some things that should simply _not_ be said. "Your English sounds so much better than it did when I left."

Beaming brighter at the praise, Abia said, "Pavov worked with my accent a little to make it sound smoother. He said that we will be going to America eventually – hopefully I'll have enough time to perfect it a little more."

"I'm sure you will. Did Pavov give a clue as to when we leave? I haven't heard much on the subject and you know Alexei and Barsad are too absorbed in their own thoughts to speak to me of such things."

She shook her head. "All I know is soon. Odd how Barsad has not told you yet. Normally he is the one to tell Pavov."

"We haven't spoken much on that particular mission. I think Bane is keeping it all under wraps anyway, or those that _do_ know what we will be doing are instructed to not say anything of it." Lena put her right hand on her hip but winced at the soreness from shooting.

"Alexei trying to make your aim better again?"

"Trying? Yes. Succeeding? No." Lena chuckled as she rubbed against the bruising gently.

"At least you are making an effort. Bane could always use more excellent snipers in his ranks." She smiled and patted Lena's arm. "If you ever need any more help, I would be happy to offer my services in exchange for some English lessons. I think you and Pavov took to the languages the easiest."

"I'd rather be able to shoot a gun without hurting myself more than my target."

"Everyone wishes for the skills they don't possess." Abia reached both of her hands up to tighten her ponytail. Lena looked away, seeing that Glennis had abandoned the target practicing for a meal and was now sitting at a table with some other mercenaries. "Lena, are you sleeping okay? You have those circles under your eyes again."

"What?" Lena turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. Realizing what she just asked, she blinked and nodded her head a little. "Yes, I've been sleeping fine. It was just… the excitement of the Pavel mission going more than well and Bane being so proud has made me so excited that it's hard to sleep." Laughing it off, she hoped that her little lie would appease Abia.

Seems that it did. "I understand. I remember the first time Bane commended me for a good job on a mission. The pride! It's…it's unexplainable." She smiled. "I think your brother and Barsad want you back. I have stolen you away for too long. You _do_ have to go with Bane later today to take Pavel back to those Americans."

Saying a quick goodbye, Lena turned and went to where her brother, Barsad, and a few others were sitting. She plopped in between Alexei and another mercenary, stretching out a hand to grab her own packaged meal someone had brought for the group.

An hour later, Lena was following Barsad and Alexei outside. Bane was already there, waiting on them with Pavel on the ground beside him. Bane's tight black shirt strained against his upper body, as did the cargo pants across his thighs. He was leaning against an old blue Jeep, one ankle crossed over the other as he watched the three walk towards him. Surely they were not late coming here – Barsad had said that Bane was not expecting them until shortly after they had finished eating.

Lena remained behind Barsad and Alexei, shielding herself much like she had yesterday in Bane's office. Something about him was just…unsettling. Just like how Barsad and Alexei couldn't understand how she couldn't trust Bane, she didn't understand how they _could_. But, it seemed that she was in the desperate minority here. Everyone that she was surrounded by sung only Bane's praises while she only played false lip service.

"The Americans will be waiting for us at the old airport here," Bane spoke mainly to Barsad. "You will drive us, along with Lena, pretending to be bounty hunters. Pavel will be given freely – no mask, no words, _nothing_," he looked down at the scientist as he spoke, a warning behind his words that did not need to be spoken aloud. "Alexei and I will be masked until we board the plane. You are to say that we are Bane's men."

Pavel made eye contact with Lena briefly before she tore her gaze away. She blinked at the ground, not able to handle the accusation that was in Pavel's eyes at that moment. She could clearly make out what he was saying in just that one glance: she had the opportunity to let him go but didn't, and now things that she couldn't begin to comprehend were going to happen. Shaking her head to get rid of the guilt that slowly was beginning to grow; she focused on the back of her brother's dark green shirt.

Alexei would be fine with Bane – being close to him, he would be taken care of. Possibly given instructions to keep Pavel safe under any and all circumstances. At least she could count on that much. The Americans were probably going to die if Bane was planning on boarding the plane. Pavel would more than likely stay alive because of his part in Bane's broader plans. It didn't look like he was brining anyone else but them on the plane either.

Bane pushed off from the Jeep and continued his instructions on what was to happen. "We will board the plane, take it over, and crash it therefore making the Americans believe that Pavel is dead and no longer a concern for them. You will drive back here to board the plane and we will make our way to Gotham with a few other men before the rest arrive by boat later."

Barsad nodded, understanding, and Lena followed suit so that he knew she had been paying attention as well. Bane stretched out his back, popping it before turning to face the Jeep. "Tie us and mask us."

Lena was careful not to tie the zip-ties around Alexei's wrists too tightly. It wouldn't matter, really. They had all been trained to be able to snap open almost anything that bound them. When she pulled the mask over his head, she smirked at him. "I like this part of the plan. Now I can beat you up and you wouldn't see me or stop me."

"That's what _you_ think, sister," Alexei replied, his voice muffled by the fabric of the sack pulled over his head. Lena led him into the Jeep, opening the door. She didn't automatically push him in and instead quickly wrapped her arms around his body as best as she could with his hands tied back so awkwardly. Stepping back, she touched his arm and helped him lower himself inside the vehicle so that he wouldn't bump his head. Pavel was sandwiched between Alexei and Bane, clearly uncomfortable between the two bulky men. Lena closed the door, going around to take the passenger seat while Barsad climbed into the driver's seat.

Uzbekistani fields were rather rocky and hilly and the one that they had to drive across to get to the old airport was no exception. Lena held on to the side of the door, throwing looks at Barsad every time it seemed that he was purposefully hitting holes and rocks. Behind her, the three men were silent, not even grunting at the rough terrain. While she certainly did not feel bad for Bane, she was sorry that Alexei couldn't hold on to anything to keep him grounded in his seat.

She never thought she would be so grateful to see Americans as she was when Barsad rolled the Jeep to a stop just in front of a grey airplane surrounded by a few soldiers and one particularly sour-looking man. His pleasant blue shirt did nothing to distract from his demeanor that clearly gave off the fact that he was _not_ happy meeting them out here in the middle of nowhere. He looked typically…American.

Lena unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door, stepping out so that she could open Bane's. Her small hand didn't even come close to wrapping around his massive arm but he still complied when she pulled. Up this close, he was even taller than she previously thought, having never been so near until now. He had to be at least a whole foot taller than Alexei, making him two feet taller than she. Trying to keep a mask of composure and indifference, she closed both of their doors and pushed him towards the Americans.

"Dr. Pavel," she heard the blue shirt clad man say as Pavel was led towards the plane by a soldier, "I'm CIA." He stretched out his hand and ensnared Pavel's in his own, jerking it up and down in what Lena assumed was supposed to be a handshake. In his other, he held a silver briefcase, stretching it out to Barsad once he came forward.

Barsad took the briefcase. Lena suspected that it held the money they had been paid for bringing Pavel to them relatively unharmed like they wanted. Blood money. "He wasn't alone," he said but the man waved him away.

"You don't get to bring friends." The man said with a tight smile, eyes roving over Alexei and Bane behind Barsad. Stiffening, Lena reached behind her, placing her hand on a throwing knife tucked into her back pocket. If things were going to get troublesome… Well, she didn't really know what Bane wanted them to do but she knew what she _would_ do.

Pavel looked behind him. "They're not my friends." He was grabbed by a soldier who took him up the steps and onto the plane. Before he was completely in, he turned and looked at Lena once more just as he disappeared completely.

"Don't worry – no charge for them," Barsad reassured the man. He held up his hand to signal to Lena, who went around the blue vehicle to come towards him. Handing her the suitcase, she took it, feeling the weight of the blood money as she stepped back once more. The man's eyes trailed on her for a moment before going back to Barsad.

"And _why_ would I want them?"

"They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary – the masked man."

The American's face instantly went from annoyed to curious to interested in a split second. "Bane?" He asked, looking at the two figures once more that still stood in front of the vehicle. Barsad nodded and Lena let out a brief sigh of relief at the man believing them. "Get them on board. I'll call it in!" Something in the man had surged forward a burst of energy, exciting him so much now that he truly smiled. "No charge for them, correct?"

Soldiers came forward to grab Alexei's and Bane's arms, pulling them towards the plane. Lena carefully kept her eyes on Alexei until she could no longer see him when he disappeared inside of the plane like Pavel had. "Correct," Barsad replied. "We just want to be rid of them."

"That, I can do. Your services have been greatly appreciated," he flashed them another smirk as if he had come out on top of the deal and turned. Lena's eyes bore into his back as well as he ran eagerly up the steps, the plane's engines roaring in her ears as they were booted up. Wind whipped her ponytail around her face and she reached up, pushing her bangs back so that they would stop stinging her eyes. She and Barsad backed away from the plane, Lena tightening her grip on the suitcase as she went over to the passenger side of the vehicle, climbing inside once more and throwing the case into the back seat.

Barsad closed his own door. In his hands he held the Jeep's keys but he didn't immediately start the car. Instead, he looked as the plane went down the runway before taking off. "We'll wait here for them."

The plane went over the mountains and vanished from sight. "I do not doubt Bane and Alexei in the least, but…how are they going to take over the plane with just the two of them when the Americans have guns?"

Barsad smiled just as another, larger plane flew over their heads. "It is all part of the plan." Lena didn't really know what he meant by the cryptic words and looked out the window as the plane headed in the same direction as the other. Odd. Normally planes were not seen in this part of Uzbekistan. Particularly so close together as well. Crossing her arms over her chest, she rubbed her shoulder and put her boots up on the dashboard, earning a glare from Barsad that made her quickly lower them back down to the floor.

He eventually got out to light a cigarette out in the open air. He leaned against the hood of the Jeep, wind ruffling his brown hair. Lena remained in the vehicle, not really liking the way smoke smelled and closed her eyes. She really hadn't gotten whole lot of sleep last night and her body was beginning to feel the effects. Her rendezvous with Barsad had tired her out enough for a quick nap but once Alexei had woken her up to catch some supper, sleep evaded her completely when she crawled back into her bed alone.

What felt like scant minutes later, Lena woke to a loud banging. Jumping, she lurched forward in her seat to see that Barsad was beating his open palm against her window. Giving him a mean look, she opened the door. "What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" She growled. Lena rubbed at her eyes. The quick nap had not really done much for her. She was still bone tired.

It took her a moment to realize why Barsad had woken her up in such a fashion. Hearing the unmistakable roar of engine turbines, she opened her eyes and dropped her hands to see the same large white plane from earlier lower itself to the ground, gliding to a slow and steady half on the runway. She stood and got out of the car, nudging the door closed with her hip. Had Bane taken over the American plane by using one of his own? That was…pretty impressive. Even she had to admit it.

Waiting with Barsad by the Jeep, Lena tucked her hands into her pockets while leaning against the Jeep. "I wonder if they kept any of the Americans as hostages." She remarked, cocking her head to the side slightly as the door to the plane opened and a few of Bane's mercenaries came out.

Barsad shrugged. "Probably not. Bane's not one to keep people he doesn't need." Bane eventually came out as well, his huge figure unmistakable even amongst all the other brawns. Lena recognized Abia's dark and thick brown ponytail and gave the woman a brief smile. For some reason, Abia was always eager to participate in Bane's missions.

"Everything went according to plan," Bane remarked. The other mercenaries went around to the back of the Jeep and unloaded large duffel bags. "Pavel is now no longer a concern for the Americans."

Lena's eyes scanned the figures in hopes of recognizing Alexei. "The fire rises." Barsad said proudly.

"Where is Alexei?" Lena finally asked, not seeing him in the crowd of mercenaries who were taking the duffle bags into the airplane. "Is he inside watching Pavel?"

"Alexei made the ultimate sacrifice. His loyalty to our cause was proven when he went down with the plane." Bane's eyes bore into hers. Lena's blood ran cold inside of her. Did – Did Bane just say what she think he said? Was Alexei…._dead_? "Your brother's memory will be honored when we free Gotham from its' wickedness."

"_No_." She hissed between her teeth. "No. No. _No_. Alexei? Alexei!" Lena broke off into a run towards the plane only to be stopped by Bane's outstretched arm. He flung her back into Barsad's arms. Clawing, she tried to get away as she continued screaming her brother's name. "_Alexei!_" He couldn't be dead. He couldn't…Bane was supposed to keep him alive! He was supposed to keep him safe! This was not a mission in which anyone should have died, much less her brother.

Bane eyed her curiously; she paid no mind, still trying to work her way out of Barsad's grip. One other mercenary came to help him, grabbing her left arm before she could fling it in Barsad's face. "You do not appreciate your brother's willing martyrdom?" Bane stepped forward towards her.

"_You _should have been the martyr." Lena snapped. "Not him!"

"What your brother did was more than honorable –"

"I don't care about honor! He – He shouldn't have _died_." Lena felt hot, fat tears streak down her cheeks as her throat closed up tightly, matching the crushing feeling she felt in her chest. Was Alexei really gone? Her brother – the only living blood she had left in this world had left her alone? No – _no_ it simply couldn't be true. It couldn't.

"Lena, please control yourself," Abia whispered in her ear, "your brother will not be forgotten. He will be remembered as a man who helped move our plans along. I know you are upset but you _must_ control yourself. I was there – I watched. He wanted to do this. Alexei wanted to go down because he knew it was for the best."

"No." Lena shook her head.

"Take her inside the plane and take her weapons until she recovers her sanity." Bane ordered. "Perhaps then, she will be open to logic." Lena broke out into another loud sob – Alexei. Alexei was _dead_.

"Lena," Barsad warned her in a low voice as he and Abia pulled her towards the plane half-carrying her. "Listen to me: If you do not watch what you say, Bane _will _kill you." Just like he killed her brother. "Somehow, you must get control on your emotions like we have been trained to do. Alexei would not sacrifice himself only to have you break into hysterics and die as well. You know this better than anyone."

"Alexei is dead."

"I know but he died because he wanted to, because he believed in Bane and our plans. Do you want to die as well? Do you want to die like this? Solely because you cannot calm down?"

"Alexei is dead, Barsad. And all you can do is scold me."

"Because you are acting like a child!" Barsad said, pushing Lena down into a seat. It took Lena a moment to realize that Abia had left them. She wiped at her eyes, brushing the tears off of her face as she sobbed again. Loud and choked, she struggled to breathe as overwhelming sadness and shock took hold of her. Sighing, Barsad sat in the seat across from her, reaching forward to grab her chin and force her to look up at him. "Bane will not hesitate to kill you. Remember that."

"I know that fact very well." Lena pulled herself away, drawing her knees up to her chest as she rested her feet on the edge of her seat. She turned from Barsad and didn't open her eyes until he left her seconds later. She stared out the small window with tears blurring what little she did see. How had Alexei died? Painfully? Slowly? or had it been quick and painless? Questions that she would never know – questions that would never be answered. Questions that she so desperately needed to know the answers _to_.

If she had been asked earlier that day – or even just thirty minutes before now if she expected her brother to die right then, she would have laughed and shook her head. This kind of mission…it wasn't even a mission, really. It was supposed to be quick and easy, like a clean wound that left behind no scars. Something had gone wrong though. Terribly wrong. Alexei was gone and she…she was alone.

Mercenaries walked past her but she paid them no mind as she bit her lip so deeply that she tasted blood in her mouth. Just the knowledge of never seeing Alexei again –

"Lena?" Pavel whispered in the seat beside her. She automatically turned towards him and was rather shocked to see that his eyes were full of sympathy. For her? Why would he feel sorry for her? She had been the one that tricked him, handing him over to Bane. Certainly he was not feeling sorry for her at this moment. He was probably reveling in her pathetic state, loving how weak and torn she was right now. "I am very sorry for your loss," he said once they were left alone in the cabin.

Lena's eyes widened. Did – did he just say that he was sorry? So he was feeling sympathetic towards her. Sniffing, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand even though she knew that it was disgusting. "Thank you," she sputtered out rather weakly. Gods, she was pathetic right then. Sniffing again, she turned away.

"He did not die in pain. The plane it…it blew up when it hit the ground. No one would have been able to survive the impact for a second." Pavel reassured her. A wave of relief washed through her and she resisted the urge to throw herself in his arms in gratitude. Instead, she gave him a watery, weak smile. Shoulders relaxing at the knowledge that her brother had not suffered, she dropped her legs back to the floor and rotated in her seat so that she faced him.

"Did Bane…Did Bane force Alexei to stay on the plane?" Pavel shook his head no. So Bane had not been lying. She should have known, really. Alexei was so devoted…

"Do you see now what I meant about Bane being an evil man? So much power over a person is _unnatural_. He _cannot_ be trusted." Pavel insisted in a low whisper. "If I were you, I would get away from him as fast as I could."

Lena chuckled humorlessly. "He's going to kill me anyway. After all of those things I just said to him? I'd be surprised if I lasted another five minutes much less long enough to escape. And you know better than anyone, Dr. Pavel," she sniffed. "There is no escaping from Bane."

"Then you do whatever it takes to survive."

"Why? What's the point? I have no family, no future, no connections, no money – I have _nothing_. Nothing at all."

"Bane…Bane killed my two oldest sons. _My boys._ My innocent boys died because of a project that I was working on, something that had attracted Bane. Your parents may be dead, but believe me when I say that they would not want both of their children to die by the same man like mine have. Why do you think I was so compliant when you came to get me? It was to save the lives of my other children. If he had killed them as well...I don't know what I would do."

Pavel turned away from her. Before he had, she saw the tears that were there. The pain of a man who was quickly losing everything that he had held dear.

"You try your hardest to survive. Even if you have to lie, cheat, and steal; you survive and then you get away from here as fast as you can."

* * *

A/N: I took some liberties with the plane scene, leaving out one member of Bane's men that are taken aboard and the seating arrangements in the vehicle. Hope this minor change didn't deter you too much!


	3. Chapter 3

Bane did not come and speak to Lena before they took off.

He didn't come speak to her when the plane was in the air for several hours, either.

For a moment, Lena thought that maybe – just _maybe_ – Bane had forgotten all about her. That was foolish though. Once she regained her senses, she realized that everything Bane did had some kind of motive to it. Bane did absolutely nothing without there being reasoning behind it. He was _making_ her wait for a purpose. Whether it was to get her relaxed and hopeful that he had indeed forgotten about what she had said or if it was to get her anxious and uneasy the entire flight; him staying away was not a random act or a careless thought.

And knowing Bane, she knew that he had studied her very well. He had probably realized that if he left her alone she would become a little paranoid, a little uneasy, and the entirety of the flight would be spent going over the different scenarios that would happen in her mind. She'd be jumpy, anxious to speak to him to get everything out and open so that she could breathe without a troubled mind any longer. She would probably fidget a little, especially when faced with the knowledge that she was in the very back of the plane facing away from everyone. She couldn't see anything or anyone. She was all alone in her corner, making her loss of Alexei even that more…traumatizing.

What was worse about the whole thing was that Bane was _right_. Lena's mind was going wild. One minute, she thought that he would kill her for sure. She _had_ outright yelled at him definitely and said that he should have been the one to die. Barsad and Abia had to hold her back from him – not that she could do any damage anyway. Then, the very next minute, Lena thought that he might, he just _might_ cut her some slack. He had proven to be sympathetic in some cases before…surely…hopefully…Well, he was human, right?

That was a question she didn't really know the answer to herself.

Sighing, she buried her head in her hands and tried to hold back tears of frustration. That was, of course, if she could even summon up any tears. She had been crying for so long that she was sure her eyes were the size of watermelons and were the colors of the inside of one, too. She was thirsty too. Gods, she was thirsty. Lena knew better than to ask for water or food though she had taken a bathroom break earlier. The restrooms were on her end of the plane so she could see people going by her chair. They just wouldn't look at her.

What was worse? Not seeing people? Or having people not see you?

Ugh, she was just so _tired_. But she didn't want to sleep. After Pavel had been taken to the front of the plane away from her, Lena had slept for hours and hours. Luckily, she had been so exhausted from crying that the sleep was deep and dark. Dreamless. Nightmare-less. Pleasant despite the circumstances. Sleep that she hadn't had in quite some time. Curling her legs up underneath her, Lena wriggled into a more comfortable position. Her stomach growled almost angrily and she sighed. If Bane didn't kill her first, she'd probably starve to death.

But that wasn't necessarily true either. Even though Lena was hungry – desperately so – she knew she wouldn't starve or come anything near to that. She had lived a long time on little food before and knew what true hunger felt like. This right here, while uncomfortable, wasn't nearly as bad as it could get. She knew that and so did Bane. Bane knew a lot of things about her; things that he probably shouldn't know.

At some point, Lena drifted off again in sleep. She woke up only when the plane began to lower, the ride becoming rougher and jostling her from her dreamless state of sleep. Blearily, she held on to the armrest until the plane leveled out on a runway, gliding down it until it came to an eventual stop. Gods, she hated flying; especially the whole landing and taking off part. Where were they anyway? If memory served her right, she imagined that they would be somewhere in America. Gotham, probably. Yes, she remembered Abia mentioning something about that particular city that Bane held a large amount of hatred for earlier.

Legs painfully stuck between her body and the seat, she gently peeled them out from under her, placing them flat on the floor so that blood could once more flood back through them. Her body felt stiff; the punishment for falling asleep in such a crumpled up position like that and for staying seated for such a long time. She rolled her shoulders out, her right shoulder still a little sore from the gun practice with Alexei. How long had it been? One day. Alexei had been dead for one day. It had been a day since she had spoken with him.

Feeling the tears once more sting her eyes, she willed them away, tightening her jaw so that her lips would stop quivering. She _had_ to stop crying. Alexei wouldn't like seeing her so weak. He wouldn't like seeing her like this… Not that he would be able to tell her so.

_Tears are for the weak_, he had said once just after they had found a home in the orphanage all those years ago. _Save them for when you're at your weakest – when you're dead. That is the only time when it is okay to cry._

Was he crying now?

Lena looked over as Barsad passed her to go to the back of the plane. He, like the others, didn't so much as look her way, caring not except what was in front of them. It was better that way. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't really want anyone to see her in such a depraved state as this. All tears and mess and reeking of weakness. Lena brushed her hair back, combing through the tangled strands as best she could so that it could shape back into something presentable. Next, Lena wiped at her eyes and cheeks, then the corners of her lips. If she wanted to feel better, maybe she should make herself look somewhat better. She could only imagine how horrible she looked; being stuck in a seat on a plane did wonders for a person.

The next mercenary to travel down the aisle next to her seat was none other than Bane himself; and instead of going through like Barsad had, he instead surprisingly sat in the seat in front of her. His enormous body weighed the seat down and he almost took up the whole row with the width of his shoulders, but somehow, he had managed to stay in the seat for the duration of the flight. Surely he could manage just a few more minutes to decide what to do with her.

Lena really hated the fact that the man she despised had so much power over her fate. Right now, he had the ability to decide whether she lived or died, much like he had with anyone else on this plane, much like he had with Alexei. Bane was clearly not shy about choosing death for his devoted followers – what would he choose for her? Someone who had demonstrated earlier that she was not nearly as devoted as others. Lifting her chin up, she tried to maintain some semblance of prideful eye contact with him but couldn't, flustering and failing. Instead, she looked away. Not down at the floor but to the side out the window. Somehow, she felt it was less cowardly that way. Somehow.

He was silent. Lena could feel the dead weight of his eyes on her, that unsettling glare pinning her to the seat. She resisted the urge to speak out and ask him what he was going to do with her – whether or not she would live, more specifically – but wasn't sure that she even _wanted_ to know the answer; especially when she wasn't all too sure of what he would pick for her. So, instead of speaking, she remained quiet, though she did wriggle in her seat just slightly as she adjusted her legs so they would not touch his. Her eyes remained trained out the window, watching as a few of the mercenaries loaded black SUVs with bags upon bags upon bags of things.

"I hope that you have taken this opportune time to think back on what you said earlier, and that you have come to the same conclusion as I: that you were rash in your judgment and actions; blinded by your hysterics over your brother's sacrifice, you lashed out against the person that you felt was responsible. Me." Bane spoke coolly, startling her as she looked at him. Was he excusing her actions? "I know that you and your brother were very close but I must push you to understand that his sacrifice was needed, and more than that, but it helped the vision that your brother wanted to see through."

But he never would see it carried out. Was a sacrifice for a cause truly worthwhile if one never got to see the cause carried out as they wanted? While Alexei may very well have chosen his ideals over his life, Lena couldn't help but wonder if _he_ was the one who had been blinded by the hysterical nature of his ideas, just like how Bane was blaming her actions on. Lena didn't dare speak her thoughts aloud though, waiting in the silence that followed Bane's words with a tenseness that could be visibly seen.

"Your brother believed that the cause of the League of Shadows – the cause of _justice _and _equality_ – was worth dying for. I can only hope that this does not deter you from seeing that his sacrifice was for nothing." So…So Bane was accepting her back into the League? He was not going to punish her in any way? This – This was almost hard to believe. But he seemed sincere enough in this. As sincere as Bane could be. Lena knew that if there was one thing she could say about Bane that was somewhat good it was that in the time she had known him, he had never lied before. Perhaps he was just going to let her off easy, despite her harsh words. "That is, of course, if you devote yourself just as your brother did to ensure that his life was not a waste."

There it was – Bane's hidden threat. She had expected something more loudly than this, but despite the fact that his warning was almost indiscernible from the rest of his conversation, that did not make the cut it made in her heart any less painful and deep. She sucked in a quick breath. To imagine that Alexei died for nothing…was that worse than dying, period? Lena couldn't fathom the thought of him dying in vain, that her own personal loss and pain amounted to nothing in the world, that what he had believed in so fully and completely would fail despite his attempt to ensure that it did not.

Yes, it would be better than just dying. If anything, Lena could comfort herself with knowing that Alexei had left this world in a passion, that he had enveloped himself into an idea and become one with it. Nurturing it like a child, believing in it so fully that it was almost…remarkable. Especially when compared with how he was before. Unlike her parents who had died from nothing of that sort, Alexei had _chosen_ to go in a manner – while not making her necessarily happy – was one that could bring him some peace in the afterlife. Should his ultimate sacrifice be for nothing?

Lena did not necessarily agree with his views on things, nor was she happy that he was gone from her life. And to know that Bane was in part responsible for the death of her brother as well…Well, that was more than a little difficult to swallow. Still, what kind of sister would she be if she did not help make his dying dream a reality? He had saved her life – she could give him his utopia even if he would not be there to share it with her.

Bane insinuating that her not cooperating with him would bring about the downfall of all that Alexei had fought and died for was a smart move. She could see what he was doing. Toying with her emotions in a way that she almost had to accept the offer: one part in showing that her devotion to her brother did not stop with his death, that she was still a sister even if it was to a mere memory; and another part in letting her feel the weight of the guilt of knowing that if she didn't help and Bane's project fell that her brother would literally amount to nothing. Just like his sacrifice. Lena certainly did not want to be toyed with and by Bane but she saw no other choice than to go along with him…

"For the love I have for my brother, I will help you make his dream become a reality," Lena replied stone-faced, her throat closing in tight around her as she thought about what she was saying. After years of resisting Alexei's attempts to get her closer to Bane, here she was, pledging her loyalty and Alexei wasn't even around to see it.

It seemed that all of his wishes would only come true when he wasn't around to see them come to be.

"A wise answer." Bane inclined his head towards her. His eyes continued to scrutinize her; she shifted in her seat once more. "I imagine that you will put all of your effort into our endeavors now. After all, you are not fighting only for you, but for your brother as well." He turned away from her and looked out the window, Lena took the chance to take in a deep breath. Why did being around Bane make her so nervous? Even after all of these years she was no more immune to the effect of his presence than she had that first day she met him. "We are in Gotham."

Gotham? Lena's head turned sharply to look out the window as well. Her eyes took in the tall buildings that lay beyond, standing high above the ground several miles from where they were. She recognized the bridges in the distance from the pictures she had seen of the sprawling city when Bane would speak of the place. She figured that they would come to Gotham soon, but she never expected it would be their first stop out of Uzbekistan, especially considering that they had only taken down the CIA plane no less than a day ago. She imagined it would be at least another week before she ever saw American soil – especially the kind that was in Gotham.

Naturally, Lena leaned over in her seat more towards the window, straining her eyes to look more at the impressive looking city. The runway they were on was rather abandoned looking and not nearly as interesting as the corrupt city that lay beyond it. The city that had fueled Bane's passion and hate for the past two years or so. The city that Alexei had spoken of out of hatred on numerous occasions. The very city that Barsad and others had been looking forward to seeing…and destroying.

The city that she would help burn to the ground.

"The fire rises," Bane stood from his seat, Lena looking up and over at him as he did so. "And you will take part in feeding that fire." He held out his hand, large and massive in its own right, but small compared to the body that it was belonged to. Lena's eyes trailed down his arm and to his outstretched grasp, his offering to her that would seal her fate with his, just as Alexei had. Would hers end in death as well?

With a shaking hand, Lena lifted her own and placed it in his.

* * *

Lena hitched the bag that was slung over her left shoulder a bit higher, her body tipping slightly under the weight of the standard cargo pants and black shirts mixed in with boots. After she had been excused by Bane – he walking her out of the plane – she had neither expected nor received any animosity from the others. When Bane forgave you for a transgression, everyone forgave you. Except, of course, for Glennis. Lena had hoped that he wouldn't be there when she stepped down from the plane, but naturally, there he was, glowering at her when Bane turned his back.

She ignored him as best she could while helping Barsad and the others load the black SUVs that were waiting on them, parked a little further down the runway. They had been left for them obviously; empty and prepared to be loaded down with whatever goods Bane had decided were important enough to bring along on their trip.

Lena hooked her fingers through the strap and tossed it into the back along with the other, lighter bag that was dangling off of her other shoulder. Feeling immediately returned to her shoulders and she rolled them, stepping out of the way so that Abia could throw her own load on top of hers. Lena reached up and grabbed the top of the back hatch. Pulling it down, she closed it with a slam and turned to see if the other vehicles were packed and ready to go as well.

"Take these to the Narrows and follow as closely behind as possible," Bane instructed from a few cars down. "Do not stray and go as quickly as you can without attracting attention. We do not want Gotham to be aware of our presence just yet."

Lena looked over her shoulder to Barsad who was standing by the driver's side of the SUV she had just been loading. Deciding that she would rather take her chances with him, she turned and went to the left driver's side passenger door, opening it and climbing in before he could tell her she was to go elsewhere. The other door opened and Abia and Pavov climbed into the vehicle; Abia beside Lena and Pavov in the front. The other vehicles were being filled as well, and Lena saw that while there's only held four, the other six SUVs contained five. So there must have been thirty four of them in total. Would Bane send back for the rest of them? If so, when?

The number would be thirty five if Alexei had not died.

Lena swallowed the thought thickly, looking out the window to focus on Gotham's skyline in order to distract herself. She simply could not keep his death at the front of her conscious the entire time. If she did, her days would be filled with nothing but sadness. Her nights would no doubt be trouble enough and her relationship with Bane was probably a little rocky even though he appeared to forgive her somewhat. Lena should be focusing on that particular problem the most. Bane not only held her life in his massive hands but also the memory of her brother.

"The fire rises," Abia smiled as she settled into her seat, clicking her seatbelt into the clasp. Her lips broke into a wide grin and she looked excitedly at Lena. "_Finally_, after all this time, the fire has at last risen and continues to do so. Doesn't it feel exciting? Knowing that everything you have been working towards will come to be?"

It would be better if she had someone to share it with. Especially the someone who was far more passionate in this endeavor than she ever was. "Yes," Lena lied smoothly but turned her eyes to look out the front window at the SUV Bane was in. His was leading their train of vehicles; Barsad following as he took a left out of the runway and onto a four-lane heading towards inner city Gotham. "It feels nothing short of exhilarating."

Barsad's eyes flashed to hers in the rearview mirror and she briefly made eye contact. In that instant, she knew that he knew she was lying. He always had a knack for that. Guiltily, she looked away and out her own window.

"Abia, we'll probably have to run through some of your English more. You're accent is still far too heavy," Pavov commented not unkindly and Abia nodded. "Some of the words are still getting lost."

"Perhaps Lena can help me as well?" Abia elbowed her and Lena turned her head to look at her. She saw in Abia's eyes a sense of pity, a need to distract Lena from the thing that was bothering her more than anything. Grateful for the distraction, Lena smiled slightly and gave a little nod to indicate that she would definitely help her friend.

"I'm afraid Bane has some plans for Lena that might take up most of her time. He spoke to me earlier in the plane. We're going to be running errands for him, I believe," Barsad turned left at a light.

Errands? Lena was going to run errands with Barsad? What kind of errands could Bane want them to run in the first place? Abia's eyebrows went up as well: a position like that no doubt came with a higher standing with Bane. To run errands for him meant that he probably trusted the person he was sending out, and Lena hadn't exactly showcased the loyalty required for that position earlier. It was a curious situation indeed.

Maybe he just wanted to keep a close eye on her. With Barsad around, Bane would have someone that he trusted more than anyone else in the world to report Lena's doings back to him. Despite she and Barsad's close, erm, _relationship_, she knew that he would not hesitate in the slightest to bring her before Bane if she ever acted out against him. Barsad may have suspected how she truly felt but that remained silent between she, him, and formerly, Alexei as well. As long as she did not act out against him, Barsad seemed to be okay with how she felt. Okay enough not to turn her in, at least.

"Oh," Abia finally spoke, "okay then. Well perhaps at some point you'll be able to help me. I'm sure you won't be running around Gotham all the time." She shrugged, slipping back into the unfazed Abia as she crossed her legs and arms. "Won't our vehicles make some people curious about our business here?"

"People here have learned to not ask too many questions," Barsad replied. "It only creates more problems for them."

Barsad made another turn. The SUVs went over a bridge and Lena could see that the skyscrapers were becoming smaller. They hadn't exactly went into the heart of the city, and instead had stayed around the edges, but even this small apart of Gotham held a significant difference once they crossed over the bridge. She looked a little more closely out her window, watching as the buildings went from engineering wonders to smaller, concrete buildings with chipped paint around the corners. Most were decorated with graffiti, some buildings even missing doors and windows the further they went into this part of the city.

Lena knew that this was probably the ghetto area of Gotham – the place that housed the poorest of the poor and was probably littered with crime. Even with the passage of the Dent Act years ago, Bane had taught them that the act itself was nothing but a sham. Not only did it infringe on the rights of the criminal – declaring them guilty in the eyes of the law before a trial – but it also made the criminals go even deeper into the underworld, making places much more dangerous than ever.

She saw a cop car pass them by but it was the only one she noticed as they made a right. Along the way, Lena frowned at how many people walked the streets. It wasn't that they were walking even in the bitter cold, but it was what they were wearing that touched her so. Rags, torn and dirty, covered their bodies underneath huge, even dirtier bundles of second and third or even fourth hand jackets and coats. There was a man sitting on a street corner holding a _homeless_ sign in his hand, a cup next to his side. He disappeared as they turned yet again but his grey-bearded, wrinkled and sad face stuck with her as they continued to drive.

"Disgusting." Pavov sneered. "Deplorable. Men, women, and children are left here in rags while the billionaires waste their money away not two miles away."

Finally, it seemed that they had arrived at their destination. The skies were darkening overhead, streetlights flickering on weakly, barely enough to illuminate much of the street below the lights. The SUV rolled to a stop next to Bane's, another parking beside theirs. Lena unbuckled her seatbelt and put her hand to the door. Just as she wrapped her fingers around the handle, Barsad stopped her by saying, "stay in the car. Bane wants us to go somewhere with him."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Abia pause momentarily as she got out of her own seat. Apparently, she too had some questions about why Bane all of a sudden wanted Lena to be nearly attached to his hip. Lena looked at Barsad through the rearview mirror and dropped her hand, turning back in her seat as she buckled her seatbelt again. Pavov and Abia got out of the vehicle and went over to another to help unload them.

"Where does he want us to go?" Lena asked, reaching a hand up to brush her thick brown waves out of her face.

"To see Dagget." Barsad drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "He wants to go over some things before we start our work here."

Daggett? John Daggett? The man who had paid Bane to set up a coup in West Africa? Lena hadn't been a part in the coup – she hadn't yet proven herself capable of shooting a gun and not hitting one of their own mercenaries and quite frankly, still hadn't gotten the hang of it – but she remembered Alexei coming back and telling her everything that had happened. Basing her opinion off of those stories alone, Lena sneered at Daggett's very name, knowing that he was a person that she didn't particularly want to meet. Much less get paid by.

Seemed that the man had liked Bane's work well enough though. Daggett had had them flown over here and she knew that Bane wasn't exactly cheap. His services didn't come without a hefty price tag, and even though they were effective, men rarely came to them multiple times for help. A man like that had to be wealthy beyond her imaginings.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she tried to keep the snarl off of her face as she waited for Bane to join them. "Why did Daggett ask for us to come here? I thought we were carrying out something for Bane – not working for someone that we plan on taking down. He _is_ one of the wealthy."

Barsad chuckled. "Don't worry Lena. Bane has a lot in store for his friend Daggett."

"I still don't like this."

His fingers stopped drumming; his eyes flashing up to the mirror to meet hers. "You don't have to like it. You just have to accept that Bane knows what he is doing." There was a warning in his eyes – clearer to her than glass. Lena bit the inside of her cheek and turned away.

The rest of the time until Bane arrived was spent in rather awkward silence, Lena sitting in the back refusing to even make eye contact with Barsad who sat in front of her. She knew that she could trust him somewhat, but felt that as of right now, this moment; he wasn't especially thrilled with her company. Lena had probably angered him a little earlier when she was hurt and lashing out at Bane. Honestly, she didn't really care either, not as much as she probably should. Barsad didn't control her fate nor did he even influence it very much. Yes, she was _close_ with him and valued his comradeship but…she felt even know that things would be somewhat strained from here on out. With everyone in the League.

It took a few more minutes for Bane to finally open the back door, climbing in with his huge, muscled, and heavy body taking up half of the row. He slammed the door shut and settled in, Barsad immediately switching the gears into reverse, carefully backing out as to not hit any of the mercenaries who were currently unpacking their SUVs and taking them into a tunnel. Lena's body tensed up with Bane's nearness but she didn't say anything as they crossed over the bridge and went back the way they came. Instead of turning down the road they had entered Gotham in on, however, Barsad turned left, heading towards the inner city portion of the huge island.

That was the strange thing about how Gotham was laid out. It wasn't a _part _of the States, really. The city sat on a series of islands, the biggest of which housed the city itself. Another part, the ghetto in which they had just emerged from, was separated from the inner city by a small lake. Lena also knew that there was another even smaller island that held the large estates of the wealthy. Even when she was first learning about Gotham when they were in Uzbekistan a year ago, she had thought the layout odd and rather weak. Bridges were everywhere, connecting to the different islands and to the mainland America. The position was especially vulnerable and she couldn't fathom how anyone would want to live in such an exposed and separated area.

The buildings grew taller, the skyscrapers reminding her blissfully of London; of a time when she had yet to be introduced to Bane. That had been almost four years ago. It felt much longer than that though. Had it only been four years? So much had changed in such a little amount of time. Before when she hadn't met him and she and Alexei had been separated, she hadn't even held a gun, much less shot one. Nor had she done more than slap a man. Despite growing up in an orphanage in Georgia, she hadn't had to fight her way through life until she was brought into Bane's good graces. Life back then had been so simple and easy. Nothing like the destructive force she was becoming a part of today.

Barsad had made a few more turns. The city seemed almost impossible to navigate but he was handling it fine. The vehicle remained silent, the only noises coming from Bane's breathing through the mask. But even that little, rustic, and mechanical noise made Lena tense even more, as if his mere presence wasn't enough to put her on edge. She wedged her hands between her thighs and stared out the window, watching as the rags of the homeless transformed into the suit of the businessman and the dress of a middle class woman. The transition sickened her. She had been the homeless shoes, had been amongst the world's poorest like these people were, yet there was none of the wealthy there to pull them out of their misery and give them any kindness, much less food or clothing. It was as Pavov said: Despicable.

After some time, Barsad finally pulled into a parking deck, driving in the dark garage with his headlights illuminating the way. There were not many cars, but what little there were, were clearly expensive ones, shiny as they reflected off of the lights. Evenly spaced, they filled each level of the parking garage with their air of untouchableness, as if even their owners never drove them. One of those cars could probably feed a family in the ghetto for several months, possibly even a year.

Despicable.

Barsad pulled the SUV into an empty space at the top deck. The nearest car was several spaces down on either side and when he cut the lights it was almost too dark inside the garage to see anything. A few lights then came on, brightening up the place dramatically and blinding her for a moment. She blinked, her vision filled with black spots for a few moments before it finally cleared. Lena unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out, following Barsad and Bane as they began to walk towards the glass door. Bane had the hood of his coat pulled up to shield his face. His attempts at trying to go unnoticed would fail though. As Barsad opened the door and let them in, Bane seemed to take up most of the hall as he led the way.

Lena followed after Bane with Barsad behind her, going towards a chrome elevator door that slid open, as if excited to have them go inside of it. Instead of taking the elevator, Bane turned right and down into an empty hallway, a singular door waiting them at the end of it not thirty steps away. When they reached it, Bane didn't bother knocking on the door, and simply opened it, striding in with his confident gait that was graceful and smooth despite his massive size.

She reached her hand up, tucking her hair behind her ear once again and looked back at Barsad. He inclined his head forward, signaling that she was to follow Bane inside of the apartment and so she did, though not before slowing to check out the area. Tall, floor to ceiling windows with expensive furniture, huge art deco pieces, and a lit fire welcomed them. Or rather, unwelcomed them. As Lena made her way into the interior of the lavish apartment, she couldn't help but still feel that nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach that was similar to the one that had plagued her ever since they had arrived in Gotham. All of this…unnecessary fluff. How could one live like this when there were people right outside sleeping in alleys at night?

Barsad put a hand at the small of her back, hard enough to startle her a little but gently enough to push her even further after Bane, who had stopped in the middle and was staring out the window. The touch calmed her, and she swallowed down the bile that was working its' way up her throat. Maybe Barsad wasn't too displeased with her after all.

In front of her, Bane lifted both of his hands to his hood, drawing it back so that his face was once more free to view. He was wearing his nondescript black cloak rather than his fur one but the black didn't slim him any, and instead seemed to make his shoulders _bigger_. Lena moved her eyes away from the fortress of the man and looked instead to one of the doorways where she heard footsteps heading their way. Barsad moved from behind her, dropping his hand, to stand beside her.

"Just let Bane do all of the talking," he whispered to her and she looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. What did he think she would do? Try and make friends with a man who was literally making her sick before she even saw him? "We are to be seen, not heard."

Lena's gaze snapped right back to the door instinctively as Daggett strode in, a smirk already in place on his face. Somehow, she had a feeling it was a permanent fixture there. "Bane! I hope the plane ride was not too rough and that your men are settled." His eyes found hers. "Well, I believe I should say your men _and_ women. I did not know you employed such." Flashing her a smile, he stretched his hand out to Bane's even though he still looked at her. Lena shifted back a little and fixed her eyes away from him, pointedly ignoring him. When she looked back at him briefly, he had turned his full attention back to a Bane; a rather wise thing to do.

When Bane did not reach out his own hand, Daggett let his drop down awkwardly by his side. He cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders, clearing his throat as he strained his neck to look up at Bane. "Our accommodations were sufficient enough. I did not come to speak of our travels though, and wish to get down to business."

Daggett blinked. "Of course. Would you like to speak in private or…?" His eyes went once more to Lena and Barsad.

"I am more interested in your _pet_ leaving us be, but if will soothe you then I will ask my companions to leave us as well." A little confused as to who Bane was referring to, Lena looked around Barsad as nonchalantly as she could and saw a mousy looking man standing at the door. He rather blended into the environment despite his rich attire and she was surprised that she hadn't seen him when he walked in.

Daggett looked behind him at his friend and gave a wave of his hand. "Very well. Let us go into the office and talk. I'm sure your _company_ will be fine waiting here until we are finished?"

"Of course. Now, if you will lead the way, I have other things to attend to today as well." Daggett gave a jerky nod of his head, a frown slowly replacing the smirk as he turned, briskly walking away from Bane back towards the archway he had walked in from. His _pet_ did not follow him, but Bane did; his long, slow walking keeping up easily despite Daggett's quicker movements.

_"Dagget is an imbecile if he believes that he can woo Bane in any shape or form." _Barsad commented in Russian as the two men disappeared from sight. The foreign language attracted the attention of Daggett's pet, who quickly looked at the two with a blank face. _"Did you see how he greeted him like they were friends?"_

Lena shrugged. _"All the more entertaining for us. The bigger a fool Daggett can show himself to be, the easier I can sleep at night. Bane will soon put him in his place."_

_"The sooner, the better."_ A smile spread across his face. _"Once Daggett is out of the way, Bane's real plans can begin."_


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for Bane and Daggett to come out, but when they did, the sun had already set and night had washed over Gotham like a blanket. Streetlights and headlights lit the city now. Lena and Barsad had long made themselves comfortable on the leather couches, Daggett's pet having left them shortly after they had begun speaking in Russian. He seemed to be a skittish fellow and had seemed rather uncomfortable with the fact that he couldn't understand them at all. His presence hadn't been missed though. Just like Daggett's and Bane's. Even though she hated the apartment for what it stood for – the wide, gaping separation between the social classes here in Gotham – she hated that two men that she rather despised had come back.

Barsad stood quickly when the two men came into the room, Lena following after him with a rather shaky stand from the couch where she had been sitting comfortably for the past thirty minutes or so. She brushed the front of her black shirt and cargo pants, waiting patiently to leave so that she wouldn't have to look at Daggett's smirking face anymore. Even though she had only seen him for an extremely brief amount of time, she still hated looking at him. Something about him just filled her with so much disgust that it was almost comical.

"I'm glad that we were able to reach an agreement," Daggett commended as he followed after Bane, his face betraying the fact that he while he may have been happy about whatever plans they had conjured, he was _not_ happy at having to follow behind someone. Namely, someone that he was paying. Lena smirked at his apparent misery but quickly wiped it away as Bane turned to look at her and Barsard standing in front of the couch. Daggett's pet soon followed them. His hands soothed down the front of his pale grey suit before he straightened his blue tie, Daggett turning to give him a look over his shoulder that only reaffirmed his displeasure at being in a following position rather than in a leading one.

Bane nodded his head towards the door, signaling that they were leaving now. Barsad moved first, stepping from Lena and the couch; she followed, as she always seemed to do. Bane stepped in front of her though, holding a huge hand to press against her chest as gently as he could. Lena halted, her eyes flickering down momentarily to his hand pressed firmly against her and then up to his eyes. Why had he stopped her?

"You are to stay here." He said. At the door, Barsad stopped as well, his curiosity at Lena's and Bane's conversation and Bane's orders enticing him to look over at them. Bane wanted her to stay here? With Daggett?

_"But Bane –"_ she began to speak in Russian.

_"No,_" he interrupted her. _"Daggett will need looking after to ensure that he does not try to go against me. I am trusting _you _with this, Lena. This is your test: Your chance to prove your loyalty to me. I will come back for you in the morning and you are to report to me anything suspicious that you see or hear. Keep them unharmed and be aware of everything that happens."_

_"I –" _Lena certainly did not want to stay here. Not with Daggett's eyes bearing into her back and his pet's quiet observation taking in her every move, every tensing of her shoulders as she stared at Bane. But this is what she had signed up for. When she had told him that she would help him for Alexei's sake and had sealed the pact with a shake of his hand, she had sealed her fate to his and given up control of her life. This is what he was asking of her, and this was what she had to do. Lena looked away to Barsad and nodded her head slowly. _"Yes, Bane."_

His hand was removed from her chest and he gave her nod of his head. "I will return in the morning," he repeated both for her and for Daggett. Then, without another word, he turned away, walking towards a steely-faced Barsad who opened the door. As Bane passed by him, Barsad's eyes remained on her, a warning and pleading in them that she couldn't quite understand. Not with Daggett coming up behind her.

An arm slid across her shoulders and she tensed up even more, locking her gaze with Barsad as he frowned and walked out as quickly as he could. She saw the locking of his jaw, the angry look in his eyes as he did so, and she knew that he didn't _want_ to leave her. That gave her some comfort. Turning her head to her left to look at Daggett, she stepped away from him, his arm sliding off of her as she faced him.

"Don't worry," he smiled, not unfazed at all by her rejection of his touch. "We'll take good care of you. A friend of Bane's is a friend of ours."

"I'd rather be shown where I will be staying for the night," she replied coolly, shifting her eyes to study the outside of the apartment. They were so high up that she saw the tops of some of the surrounding buildings. Off in the distance, she could make out the unmistakable _W _of _Wayne Enterprises._ Naturally, it was the tallest building in the city, standing gaudily at the center high above everything else, an unreachable height in more than one way.

Daggett huffed indignantly. Pivoting away from her, he threw up his left arm and motioned for his pet who immediately rushed forward, coming close to Lena. "Come this way, please," he said rather stiffly and breezed past her. Lena stared at Daggett's back as he disappeared before deciding to follow after his little secretary. The apartment was much bigger than she imagined, but she didn't have to go down many halls until her guide stopped in front of a door. Good. That meant that it would be hard to get lost. "You'll be staying in here." He opened the door and stepped aside, waiting for her to go in first.

Lena peeked her head around the door frame first, catching glimpses of bubble-gum pink walls and a large polished, brass bed with suffocating white lace covers on top. Wearily, she rounded the frame and went in completely, looking at her surroundings. The room was clearly a girl's room, decorated in whimsical colors that belonged in a fairy tale book. Definitely for a younger child no older than twelve, perhaps. She suddenly got a headache looking at everything, eyes roving over the super clean white wicker furniture and wide windows that let in light from the building nearby.

"If you are uncomfortable in the clothes you are wearing now, Mr. Daggett has been gracious enough to allow you access to the clothes in the bureau and closet. Whatever fits is yours to take."

"I'd rather not," she replied and crossed her arms over her chest. Lena looked down at her own outfit. Even though it clearly didn't belong in this world, she couldn't imagine changing though she desperately needed a bath. Sitting on an airplane for hours on end hadn't left her feeling the freshest in the world. But she wouldn't give Daggett the satisfaction of wearing anything that he loaned her. She'd just change back but leave the underwear off if need be. She could wash those in the sink and it'd be dry by morning.

When she peeked her eyes back at Daggett's pet he was gone, disappearing far too quietly to soothe her any. Frowning, she went to the door and closed it. Seeing that it had a lock on the handle, she immediately twisted it. Daggett might have had a key, but somehow knowing that there was something that prevented him or his little _follower_ sneak up on her made her feel better. She sighed, turning away from the door to face the room again while wrinkling up her nose a little. Lena liked pink and all, but this was a little too much. Hopefully, Bane wouldn't want her to stay too long. This room…it'd be far too much for her to handle at long intervals.

Spotting a door to the right, she went towards it, hoping that it wasn't the closet and was the bathroom. She opened that door and let out a brief sigh of relief, instantly recognizing a tub and a bathroom decorated with the same décor that went with the bedroom. Holding back her disgust and trying to be at least a little grateful that she had an adjoining private bath, she went inside, closing the door firmly behind her. Lena rooted through the cabinets and found a towel and rag. She dropped them by the side of the shower and looked around for shampoo or soap.

If Bane was planning on leaving her behind for the night, he could have at least let her pack a few things. Honestly, this rooting and scavenging made her feel…weird. Half of the stuff in the room had obviously gone unused for some time and she felt odd looking at it, much less using it.

She discovered a half-used bottle of shampoo and soap in the back of one of cabinets and decided that this was probably all she needed. Lena stripped and put her clothes on the counter. She used the soap to wash under the arms of the shirt and around the neck and then her underwear. Her pants and bra were probably fine to last her another day at least, so she left them dry while she stretched her wet clothes out.

Lena turned the cold knob on and stepped in, fumbling around a little until she reached the perfect temperature. With Bane, she had grown to appreciate cold showers. When she had lived in London, the idea of taking a bath in nearly freezing temperatures would have probably made her laugh; but Bane preferred only cold showers as a way to discipline the body and mind to overcome the numbing pain of cold water. After a time – a year or so – it had gotten to the point when she had forgotten how a hot shower felt like.

Even now, with hot water available, she kept it at a bone-chilling temperature. Her teeth no longer chattered, at least. Scrubbing her body as best she could, she washed her hair and skin before stepping out. When her legs rubbed together involuntarily, she winced, feeling the stubble that was growing. Luckily, she had good genes in her system and her hair was soft, but _still_. That feeling could send any girl into a bad mood. Lena scowled and grabbed the towel. Really, Bane could have let her pack _something_.

Roughly an hour later, Lena went out of the room. For some reason, Bane had wanted her to keep an eye on Daggett though it would have been better if he told her what she was supposed to be looking out _for. _She could see by him leaving her here that he didn't trust Daggett, but it didn't make much sense to leave someone like her behind. Though she hadn't done anything to call attention to herself as a disbeliever with the exception of telling him he should have died instead of her brother – okay, on second thought, maybe that was enough of an attention grabber to her _true_ feelings – but still…why her?

She had comforted herself with the knowledge that perhaps this move was to give her a chance to prove herself. Despite her words of loyalty other, Bane would be foolish to simply take those and brush her other actions under the map and never address them again. Lena had to prove herself. To show that she was committed to carrying out Bane's – _Alexei's, _she reminded herself – dreams of a world where there was no Gotham. Perhaps this was her moment. Stay with Daggett and keep an eye on him for a night to make sure that he didn't do anything too suspicious.

She would do this. Even if she despised the thought of even being in the same room with Daggett and his little pet.

Sighing, she played with the ends of her braid that she had swept over her shoulder, hair still damp to the touch despite the fact that she had towel-dried it thoroughly. The apartment still seemed just as small as before despite the attempts to make it modern-looking and expensive. Granted, it was a lot of space, she figured, for a single man living in the middle of Gotham. Looking around, she realized that the place was probably a bit bigger than the one she used to clean when she lived in London.

Lena eventually found the two men in the kitchen, Daggett speaking in hushed tones on a phone while his pet poured a glass of wine. With a wry smile, she saw that there were three glasses set on the marble white counter.

Daggett's eyes looked up at her and he immediately shut the phone. As if that didn't cause suspicion enough, he eagerly smiled and shoved the device into his pocket, clearing his throat as he grabbed one of the already filled glasses. "I see you decided to join us," he spoke with a smile and a tone that could be considered charming if he wasn't so revolting. "Please, come in."

"I'd rather not interrupt," Lena shook her head as Daggett picked up a second glass, holding it out to her. "No thank you, I don't drink wine."

"What's your poison? I'm sure Stryver here could find whatever you wished."

Lena actually wouldn't have minded a bottle of vodka at the moment, but she wouldn't dare drink it around Daggett. Especially when she was supposed to be watching him, not fraternizing with him. "I…don't drink." She settled on a little white lie.

Daggett put down his now-empty wine glass and took a sip from hers. "Does Bane not allow you to?"

"_I _don't allow myself to," she replied rather harshly.

He chuckled. "Are you sure about that?" Lena bit the inside of her cheek to keep from shooting back a response and simply turned her head away, eyeing the refrigerator with as much hate and indignation as she could handle at the moment without taking the bottle of wine and smashing it up against Daggett's smirk. She was surprised as his audacity to even offer her a drink. Surely her brush-off of his advances earlier had shown him that she was clearly not interested in anything he had to offer.

Or thought he had to offer.

"So what's a pretty little thing like you doing working for Bane?" Daggett asked, moving to sit on one of the barstools at the counter. Out of the corner of her eye, Lena saw him wave his hand and at first she was confused. Until, that was, Stryver abruptly left the room. Eyebrows shooting up, she had to turn and watch his back before he disappeared.

Had Daggett seriously just dismissed someone from his presence with a _wave of his hand_ like he was some sort of king? Bane had never – _never_ – treated her or anyone else that way nor would he had approved of such a gesture. Lena didn't care much for Bane, but she still couldn't imagine why Bane would be working with a man who acted this way. It was disgraceful, inhumane, it was _disgusting_. She wrinkled her nose a little, her eyes moving from where Stryver had disappeared to Daggett's hand as he lifted the wine glass to his lips, patiently awaiting her answer to his question.

Fury at his actions surged through her. He was… He was so like those people she had seen in London. So much like the men she had worked for at one time. Everything about him was so…_familiar _and nearly _vile_ to look at. She dug her fingernails into her palms and forced herself to look at the wall behind him, unable to make eye contact with such a creature as he at the moment. Lena was not a very violent person, but right now she could feel Alexei's memory pushing her to stand up for herself to his pathetic excuse of a man – _no_, a human being – and rid Gotham of yet another snooty millionaire with more money than he could ever need.

She surprised herself. The sheer level of violent rage that pushed her to act was strange to her. Alexei had always been the rash one. Until he had met Bane and had been tamed slightly, he was always getting into fights at the orphanage. It was what had landed him in that jail so many years ago. Well, _part_ of the reason why. Lena was the quieter one, the one who cleaned his cuts form the combats he was in once they were over. But right now? She felt as if Alexei's very spirit was attempting to enter her instead of her own.

But she had to control herself. Despite Bane's curious intentions with being employed by such a man as Daggett, she figured that there must be some purpose, some reason to all of this. Bane wanted Daggett alive for now. He might not have trusted the man, might have even hated him, but Daggett was worth something to Bane. Lena didn't know what, nor did she even want to. She just knew that if she wanted to protect her brother's legacy that she would have to resist the urge to act out on her rage.

"Well?" Daggett asked, ushering her to answer his question. "What do you say about that? Surely you're not a _mercenary_." He scoffed, taking another sip and she once more had to painfully swallow down the urge to go across the room to show her just how much of a mercenary she could be.

"I am here to do a job just like everyone else."

"But a woman? One that, as I said, looks like _you_? No, no, Lena. If I may? You should just cut your losses with Bane and his crew. You should join mine instead. I'd make sure you'd have only the best of the best. Bane can't give you anything close to what I could."

"It's not about the money, fame, or power, Mr. Daggett," she said coldly, trying to ignore the fact that he sounded as if he wanted to pimp her out. "I've never been fond of that sort of thing nor will I ever be. I'm perfectly fine where I am." _Another lie._ But he didn't need to know that.

"It's _always_ about the money, fame, and power. Even someone like you knows that no matter how hard you try to deny it. Sure, that horseshit sounds good when you're talking, but in reality? You can't get far in this life without at least one of those things. And please, call me John."

"I'll just have to _politely _disagree."

"You sound like a walking poster child for Bane's organization. See, _he_ cares about the money, fame, and power. Do you think he volunteered to come help me just because I'm a nice guy? No, he did it because I gave him a hell of a lot of money and the opportunity to become even more of a name here in the States. That's all Bane wants. No matter what sort of idealistic bull-shit he tells you."

Lena really didn't have to say anything about that. She knew that Bane was getting paid for his _services_, otherwise, how else would they had been fed, clothed, and what not? There had to be income coming in from somewhere, and while she didn't know specifics, she understood that Bane practically rented out his mercenaries to take care of business. She knew that and so did Daggett. Yes, it might have seemed like he wanted power and fear because of this, and in a way, even Lena believed he did. But when she thought about it more, she understood that Bane would never offer his help _personally _to a man like Daggett without waiting for something major in return.

Plus, Lena knew of the vast extent of Bane's pure hatred for Gotham. She had been exposed to it throughout her time with him and had even come to hate the city as well. Daggett, however, didn't know this. He had no idea, no knowledge of the fact that he was clearly being used for Bane's plans. Of course he would think that Bane wanted only power, money, and fame – it was all he knew. He was completely oblivious to what Bane _really_ desired: to see Gotham burn to the ground.

Instead of telling him though, she kept quiet, pursing her lips together and merely shrugging her shoulders, earning a scoff from Daggett as he took another sip from his glass. He set it on the countertop with a firm hand and poured himself more. "But I'm sure there are other things Bane cares about. He seems to be rather attached to his mercenaries. At least, that's the impression I've been given from our conversations. I can't say I blame him; if I had employees that looked like _you_, well," he smirked and lifted the glass to her, "I'd be attached too."

Holding back her disgust, she tried to wipe the sneer that was trying to surface.

"It's been confusing to me as to why Bane allows women to do some of his bidding for him. I mean, not to sound misogynist or anti-feminis-_whatever_, but wouldn't women just distract from the mission? Not only are they simply not as strong, but their natural sexuality would just…endanger everyone, I think."

"I can assure you that we've had no problems with lack of strength and _natural sexuality_ in anyone that Bane has trained. Why do you care anyway, Mr. Daggett? We'll get the job done, and that's all you're worried about, no? Making sure that you're not wasting your money?"

"Oh I never waste my money. I make sure that I come out on top in all aspects in life – financial or otherwise. I just like to know about the services those that I employ offer. I was curious about Bane's use of women, and now I have my answer. Or, some of it at least. What other services does a man like Bane have his women perform?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's a simple question." He shrugged his narrow shoulders. "I assume a man like Bane would use all of the resources he has. He seems to be by no means a waster of opportunity. And if all of his women look like you, then what a fine opportunity he has."

"Mr. Daggett," she spat between clenched teeth, resisting the urge to vomit right there as revulsion washed through her. "We are not _Bane's women_; we are _women_ that belong to no one but ourselves. And while Bane may not be a _waster of opportunity_, I can guarantee you that he frowns down upon prostitution and would never use us in that way." It was true. If there was yet another good thing she could say about Bane, it was that he did frown upon violence against women. Well, outright, hateful violence.

They may have acted as if they were prostitutes to get a job down – just like she had done in getting Pavel – but never would she resort to that, nor be forced to by Bane.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he half-heartedly apologized, stepping down from his stool to take a step closer to her. Lena stood rooted to where she was, but watched him with a wary eye as he came closer to her.

"I I were you, I would keep in mind to be more careful next time you open your mouth and throw around such offensive things then. Especially when you supposedly don't mean to offend."

She smelled the wine on his breath as he stood in front of her, a head taller but not nearly as imposing looking as most of the men that she had dealt with throughout her life. If he thought he could do anything to her, he was sorely mistaken. Lena quirked an eyebrow up at him, watching him carefully to see what he would do – or say –next.

"So if Bane doesn't allow other men enjoy his women, does he at least enjoy them?" He smiled and placed a light fingertip on her arm, over the sleeve of her black long sleeved shirt. Lena tensed but didn't move away from him. He wasn't going to get the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. Not if she could help it. "Do his men get to enjoy you?" No, just Barsad, she thought humorlessly. "Do his customers get to? Because I, for one, would love to get to enjoy some of Bane's men. And look – I have one with me now."

His light touch became more daring and he grabbed at her arm clumsily. Lena swiped it out from under him, only to bring it back in a solid punch at his jaw. He stumbled back into a stool from behind him, falling over it and onto the ground while his wine glass dropped to the tiles, shattering as the blood red wine splattered on the floor. It took him a moment to regain his bearings, and Lena smirked a little at how pitiful he looked on the ground. One of his legs was still tangled into the wooden legs of the barstool, his arms splayed out on either side of his body.

"Bitch," he manage to hiss out. Lena turned on her heel, marching back to her room and leaving him cursing and struggling to stand.

At least she tried to remain somewhat calm.

* * *

Lena rubbed her tired eyes. She tried to stifle a yawn but failed, her jaw stretching as she dropped one of her hands down by her side and ruffled her rather pathetic ponytail with the other. As usual, she hadn't been able to sleep the night before. She knew with Alexei's death the nightmares would return with a violent vigor. Without Barsad to sleep by her, Lena had tried to forgo sleep by walking around the room and going through everything.

It hadn't necessarily felt right. But in a desperate attempt to evade sleep, she was left with no other choice. Thankfully, she had found a book in one of the drawers in the vanity but it was written entirely in English. Some of the conjugations and slang were words she had never seen, and speaking a language was far different from being able to read it. After about three hours of struggling through half of it, she had given up and threw it to the side, once more returning to her previous chore of going through the room.

Her predecessor had left behind more than they had taken. Most of the drawers were full of clothes, girlish things with lace and fine stitching. One photograph had been taken out of its frame but there was another of three women. Two were young, the other older, and Lena guessed that the room had belonged to one of the younger girls. Daggett's daughters perhaps? It would make sense though she couldn't understand why the room would be left in the state that it was in. If she had moved out surely she would have taken her things with her.

Then again, maybe Daggett had bought her a bunch of new stuff for her new home. Did rich people do that sort of thing? Trying to come up with possible scenarios about the room's owner had kept her up for a little bit longer until finally she had collapsed on the bed from sheer exhaustion. Luckily, she had been so tired that she hadn't even dreamed, and when she woke up to the sun on her face she realized that maybe she could have gotten at least one more hour of dreamless sleep.

Lena didn't stay in bed for too much longer even though her body practically cried in sadness when she managed to roll out of it. It was far more comfortable than the cot she had at Bane's, and leagues ahead of the airplane seat. But she didn't know when Bane would be back to check on her. Hopefully, he would take her back to …wherever it was that they were supposed to be staying and she wouldn't have to remain here long. She had a feeling that her encounter with Daggett would make for even more awkward moments between them if she was forced to stay longer.

Yawning again, she stretched her arms over her head. Her whole body just felt so sore and stiff from the prolonged plane ride even after the measly hours of sleep she had managed to get. Sighing, she yanked her arms back down and worked out a kink that was in her neck. She really _really_ didn't want to leave the privacy the room had but she couldn't really prolong it any longer. Besides, what did she have to fear from a man like Daggett? Absolutely nothing. He was a maggot of a man.

Hah, she smiled a little, _Maggot Daggett._

Walking to the door, she unlocked and opened it, the hallway a little cooler than what it was in the bedroom. She closed it behind her and crossed her arms over her chest, long ponytail swaying as she looked down both ends of the rather short hall. Where had Daggett's room been? Biting the inside of her cheek, she strode off into the direction of the living room and simply hoped that she didn't have to see his disgusting face again.

She, however, did see his disgusting face when she went into the living room…standing right beside Bane. They both turned to look at her, Daggett's slightly bruised jaw clenching when he saw her. He turned away from her rather forcefully, spitting out something to Bane who looked down on him. Lena looked over by the door and spotted Daggett's pet, or rather, Stryver. Standing behind the couch was Barsad and Pavov, both looking rather humored.

_"What's with the faces, you two?"_ She asked, uncrossing her arms to tuck her hands into her back pockets.

_"Our face may or may not have something to do with Daggett's rather pathetic attempts to appear more powerful than Bane. That new bruise of his might also have something to do with it._" Pavov whispered back and gave her a knowing smile.

_"Was that all you did to him? I'm rather disappointed."_ Barsad chimed in. _"What happened?"_

_"He insulted us. Well, more exactly, the women of Bane's League. I…may or may not have gotten a little too frustrated with him._" She decided to leave out the part of him sort of grabbing her. Though it wasn't necessarily that big of a deal in the first place, she didn't want to give Barsad yet another reason to hate Daggett. There was only so much hatred that should belong to one person.

_"I figured it was something like that. You women are a rather defensive lot." _Pavov nudged her playfully. She nudged him back, smiling a little.

_"You don't think Bane will be mad?"_

Barsad chuckled. _"Mad? Bane hates that man more than anything."_

_"Then why are we here, helping him? I know that we're here to destroy Gotham but do we have to do that by going through Daggett?"_ She asked confusedly, looking to Barsad. He usually knew the answers to how Bane worked mainly because he was so close with him. Oftentimes, when she would question Bane she wouldn't do it around others, but she wasn't really concerned with Pavov. This one time wouldn't hurt. She noticed that he, too, was looking at Barsad for an answer when she snuck a peak at him.

_"Trust Bane." _Barsad urged. "_Daggett will receive his justice in due time; just like every other person in Gotham like him."_

But Lena didn't really want to wait for _due time_. She frowned but covered it up as quickly as she could, looking over at the two men by the glass windows. Bane, tall and broad and fierce looking with Daggett small and fragile below him, acting as if he was scolding him. A man that felt he had control over a man like Bane didn't deserve to be given any leniency. Lena might not have liked Bane but she also didn't like stupidity. And she really, really didn't like Daggett. She wanted for him to receive his punishment _now_; not later.

_"I, for one, would like to see both he and his little pet get their justice together."_ Pavov looked at Stryver who was still cowed over by the door as if waiting for Daggett to give him an errand to do or an order to follow. Pathetic. _"I have only been looking at him and I already find him annoying."_

_"Daggett should not have that much control over a man._" Barsad remarked, shooting a fiery glance at Daggett. _"Especially when he isn't much of a man himself."_

Lena shrugged her shoulders._ "Even though he's annoying I kind of can't help but feel sorry for him. I mean…look at him."_

Pavov cocked his head to the side. _"Yes, it is kind of sad, I suppose. I wonder, though, how many people could be fed off of the salary he makes? The rich control far too much of this city."_

* * *

Lena was able to return with Bane, Pavov, and Barsad to their new placement. The ride was similar to the one they used to get to Daggett's apartment, but Barsad made a few more extra turns to throw off anyone who might have been following them. Instead of parking the vehicle though, Barsad instead drove into the entryway, turning every now and then as the ground sloped downward, further into the ground. The area in front of them was the only thing that was lit, but Barsad managed to navigate what little he could see rather easily despite this.

After what she guessed to be a mile, Barsad stopped, pulling the vehicle up behind another one that was parked along the far left wall. If any vehicle were to ride down this path, they would more than likely see the cars. She started to say this but Pavov handed her a large flashlight before she could. climbing out of the SUV, she switched the light on and immediately examined the ground.

Turns out, while a car could see theirs, when she looked at the ground from the area where they had come from, she noticed that not many cars came back here. In fact, as she bent down to examine the light layer of dirt and flecks of rust from the metal overhead, she could tell that the tracks that were there were fresh. They were the only ones that had traveled down here in at least the past few months. How far deep into the ground were they?

"The tunnel," Pavov motioned towards the other end of the entryway once he noticed her curiosity, "it goes on forever that way. We found some blueprints of the city and discovered this. You can reach anywhere in the city using these underground channels. They cross and intersect all over the place. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah," she nodded. It was pretty neat and surely would only help them in the coming months. Especially if no one else ventured down here. Lena turned the flashlight to the right wall, spotting a broad door. It was about five feet wide and at least seven feet tall, probably more of garage door than anything. It had been rusted so much that it blended in rather well to the wall around it, distinguishable only by the red swipe that covered the top. Bane and Barsad were walking towards it, Pavov nudging for her to follow.

Bane bent down and gripped the handle at the bottom. Effortlessly, he pulled it up, the metal gears groaning and grinding in protest at the motions. When it was all the way up he went in, shucking off his heavy coat to sling it over his arm.

The inside of the abandoned underground room was huge. It was probably the length of a football field wide and just as long as one as well. The sound of rushing water echoed throughout, bouncing off of the rusted brown walls and stairs, and it wasn't until she had entered further into the room that she saw the open gaps of running water in the center. Walkways were laid out everywhere overhead, the extra lengths of chains holding them up dangling down. Not only was it wide and long, but it was also at least three stories tall.

"Wow," she remarked impressively. There were doors and arches on the walls, possibly leading to the areas that would be their makeshift bedrooms. A few of the mercenaries were spread out in the area, some wrestling and some just talking as usual. It reminded her a lot of their place back in Uzbekistan though…bigger. She could imagine Alexei being here and absolutely loving it.

He would be perfect here, she thought. Gotham's destruction had been something he had been looking forward to for so long…and he wouldn't be here to see it. Swallowing back tears, she tried to dispel the image of him walking through the new hideout with her, soaking up the excitement of the upcoming months as he tried to get her just as enthusiastic about it as he was. She would probably just ignore him, wanting desperately to turn the conversation away from something so Bane-related.

What she wouldn't give to have him talk to her again. Even if it was about Bane.

"Welcome home," Barsad said as he walked up beside her. Looking down at her, he smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling together. "Now we can really begin our work."

It wasn't really home. Not without Alexei here to share it with her. Her home was back in Uzbekistan where she had last seen him, where she had last held him. This place…while impressive, could never match that. But she had to remember the reason why she was here: to carry out what Alexei wanted. It was all she had left and she was more than eager to see his dreams come true even if he wasn't going to see it for himself.

Forcing a smile back at Barsad, she turned her head to look at Bane's broad back walking away from her. "I'm ready."

And she was.


	5. Chapter 5

Lena swooped under Abia's punch, ducking to the left as a second hit was sent her way. Successfully evading the attack, she stayed low and thrust her fist forward, aiming for Abia's tensed stomach. The woman pushed her hips to the right and Lena's momentum carried her forward a step, placing her directly in front of Abia when Abia stepped forward. Pressed against her back, Lena felt arms wind around her neck, Lena's own pushed behind Abia as a muscular forearm was held tightly to her neck. Gasping, Lena jumped up a little and then pulled down, ducking her head as her hips pushed up and back, sending Abia up and over her body and onto the floor.

Landing with an audible whoosh of breath streaming from her lips, Abia's eyes closed reflexively before she rolled out of the way and onto her elbows and knees. Lena was on her in an instant though, and kicked her in the stomach brutally, tips of her combat boots against flexed abs. Abia didn't cry out though. She instead let out a short breath and clenched her fists, preparing herself for Lena's expected and second move: an elbow in the back.

Abia moved quickly. Just as Lena's hit made contact, she rolled sharply, flipping onto her back and grabbed Lena's elbow, yanking her down on top of her as she pulled her legs up and apart. Lena grimaced at no one in particular. She shouldn't have gone for the instinctual move – Alexei had always told her she was too habitual, a quality a fighter certainly did _not_ want. She stuck to the moves Bane had taught them in the order he taught them, and now she was paying the price, Abia's long brown legs wrapping around the front of her body and in between her shoulders, pushing her against the floor and rendering her immobile.

"Yield." Lena spat out as she took in a much-needed breath. Abia's legs disappeared immediately and the woman hopped up, reaching a hand down for Lena to grasp before she helped her up. Grateful for the help, Lena grabbed her arm and allowed Abia to pretty much pull her up into a sitting position, Lena's legs slacking in front of her as they splayed out, her chest quickly rising and falling as sweat poured from her chest, making the skin that wasn't covered from the sports bra and tight knee-length pants glisten from underneath the overhanging lights.

"Had enough?" Abia asked, dropping down to rest her hands against her knees, bottom against her ankles. She was breathing a bit harder than before, and when Lena looked over she noticed with some satisfaction that the woman was already coloring at her side from where she kicked her.

"_More_ than enough." Lena stretched her arms and winced, the soreness already settling in. Along with the bruise from shooting with Alexei, Lena could already see more of her pale skin becoming red and purplish in some areas, the afternoon's training session having been far rougher than normal. But that was what she had asked for. When Abia had asked her to train with her once they settled in from getting back from Daggett's, Lena has only one suggestion: that Abia train her as hard as possible.

Out of all the women, Abia was probably the best fighter. Just _looking _at her proved that. Not only was the woman impeccably gorgeous, but she was literally made of steel. It was as if her very blood contained nothing but rock. For the past hour, she had basically used Lena as a punching bag. With a flinch, Lena rolled her right wrists, popping them. Maybe _punching bag_ was an understatement. Lena felt as if she had been hit by a truck. A really big truck. Maybe two.

Abia smiled at that and rose fluidly, standing as she put he hands on her hips. "Well, you did manage to get in a few hits. That last kick was pretty impressive though you were predictable. You really need to work on that. I, what's the word? I _guessed_ what you were going to do before you did it. Yes, I think that's right. _Guessed_."

Lena nodded. "Yeah, _guessed_ is the right word. And I know; Alexei had always told me I was too predictable but I'm never really sure what to do. I just go for it instead of really thinking about it."

"Combat should come somewhat naturally if you've been trained, but you also really need to think about it sometimes. Assess your opponent's weaknesses and strengths, figure out how to work that against them. Instincts are important but they are not always going to save you; thinking will."

"That's not the first time I've been told that," she smiled wistfully, momentarily thinking back on all of the times Alexei had told her that very same thing. He had always stressed not just _feeling_ and going through the motions of combat, but putting in a thought filled effort, remaining sharp so that she didn't slack or become stuck in a pattern. Things that she continuously tried to remember. Though clearly, as the hurt that spread through her body proved, she had not.

"Lena," Pavov came towards where they were in the corner of the huge space, his black ribbed tank not doing a good job of masking his toned abs. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. "Bane wants to speak with you."

"About what?" She sighed, then caught herself once she caught Abia's head snap towards her in surprise. "Nevermind, it's probably about last night. Can you take me to where he is? I'm not sure where his room is yet."

"Sure," Pavov shrugged, turning away as if she hadn't just acted like a petulant child.

"I'll wait for you here. Maybe we can work on you shooting when you get back." Abia grinned at Lena's rolling eyes – shooting was _not_ what she really wanted to do right now. She didn't exactly want to go speak with Bane either but she had little to no choice there. Following after Pavov, Lena's legs were stiff and already sore from the little workout session with Abia. By tomorrow, she would probably be _screaming _with pain.

Maybe Barsad would help take her mind off of it by making her scream in other ways…

Blushing furiously, she sped up her pace, keeping up with Pavov as he went under one of the arches in the center of the wall and kept going down the dark hallway. He stopped at the third door – the largest – and knocked briskly once before opening it. He stepped to the side, gesturing like a waiter that was showing her a seat. She gave him a little mock curtsy before coming out from beside the wall and into the room, stepping in until Pavov shut the door behind her. Not only would she have to speak with Bane, but it seemed as if she would have to do it alone as well.

She saw him in one of the darkest corners, the room lit by a single bare light bulb dangling from the center rather pitifully. And she didn't even see him really, just judged where he was by the sound of breathing and the chance of seeing something reflective move a little. It had to be the metal from his mask, what else could it be? Other than that glare, she couldn't really see anything else in the room but knew there had to be a bed or cot or whatever he slept on somewhere. Even her tiny room that she would be sharing with Abia had one.

The sound of his footsteps told her that he was walking towards her before she saw him enter the circle of light, hands resting on the straps of his thick and heavy vest, head held high as always. Her eyes traveled down his bare arms, to the camouflage cargo pants, and then to the imposing combat boots he wore. Always, he looked the same. Suddenly, she felt too exposed in her sports bra and pants even though she knew he wouldn't do anything. He wasn't like Daggett. Bane was…different somehow.

She shivered a little and he noticed. "Cold?" He asked, the metallic clicking unsettling her even more.

Lena nodded. "Just a little. It's…much warmer out there."

"You've been working out. Enhanced your skills any?" He seemed to finally notice her attire, his voice drenching in obvious approval at her attempt to improve herself regardless of whether or not she had succeeded in doing so.

"Abia said I'm too predictable but we're going to work on that." Lena replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "When I go back, we're going to go practice at the shooting range a little. I'm not exactly the best shot."

"No one is the best at everything. There is _always_ someone better. And you're shooting practice can wait for now; I have something for you and Barsad to do after I get finished speaking with you about Daggett. I noticed this morning that he had a bruise on his jaw. He would not speak of it, but I have the notion that it was you who had given it to him. Am I correct in thinking so?"

"Yes." There was no sense in lying.

"Why?"

"Daggett insulted not only me, but the other women and men in your League. He was drinking and talked of you loaning us out to your men and your customers, even using us yourself for pleasure. I may have let my anger get the best of me."

"There is no _may_ about it – you _did_ let your anger take control over you; and it is not the first time," Bane said pointedly and her head snapped up, eyes going straight to his as she realized that he was referring to her emotional outburst before they boarded the plane. "I do hope that it will be the last."

She swallowed. "It will."

"Good. Now that is taken care of, I have something for you and Barsad to do. Despite the fact that we have numerous maps and good knowledge of the city, I believe that we need something…more. An insider's perspective, so to speak. You are to recruit among the young homeless in the Narrows, the ones who have been trampled upon by Gotham's corrupt and have been left to die. We will give them a home, food, and a place to sleep as well as a job. Daggett requires more workers than we have available and I want our attentions put to our own plans, not his."

So they were to find workers. What sort of things did Daggett want them to do in Gotham? She didn't want to ask though, more than eager to extract herself from Bane's room and go back into the warmth and light that was…elsewhere. Nodding her head, she turned away and went to the door.

"And Lena." She paused, hand outstretched towards the knob as her head looked over her shoulder at where Bane stood beneath the light, his shadow monstrous and huge on the ground in front of him. "Make sure that these outbursts of yours do not happen again. This _is_ my final warning."

* * *

"You shouldn't push him like that," Barsad put his keys into the pocket of his cargo jeans, shutting the door behind him as he stepped down from the vehicle. Lena resisted the urge to just scream in frustration as she rounded the hood of the SUV. Like she had honestly meant to anger Bane? The only person who seemed stupid enough to do that was Daggett, and he was already marching dangerously close to his death. Hopefully. "You are already in a precarious position enough as it is."

"I know that, _Erik_. Do you really believe that I would try to get myself killed like that? He has already spared my life once; I am certainly not going to coax him to do that again. The first time was nerve-racking enough as it is. I have other things to do before I plan on dying."

"So _now_ you are deciding to become dedicated to Bane? What made you so drastically change your mind?"

She gave him a leveled look. "I think you know exactly why." Folding her arms over her chest, she looked away as his eyes softened and nodded her head once towards a dilapidated warehouse with a few people sitting in front of it, obviously homeless. "Think we will find any recruits in there?"

"Lena; your brother was a good man. I – I really am sorry that you had to lose him."

"You certainly did not seem sorry when you all but pushed me into the plane," she said stone-faced. Not even bothering to look at him, she strode towards the warehouse without him.

"I was saving your life just in case you were too busy to notice. Do you know how easily Bane would have broken you if you had rushed to him like you were planning to?"

She whirled around to face him, glaring vehemently through narrowed eyes. "I understand that fact very well; but I think that you're forgetting _one_ detail: you told me I was acting like a _child. _A _child_, Barsad. That was a little uncalled for, don't you think? You know how close Alexei and I were, and you expect me to be all calm and cool like you were after finding out that he died in a damn plane."

"I know you are upset and I could see then that you were devastated. But that doesn't change the fact that you had murder in your eyes and that rage was pointed directly at Bane. He would have killed you, Lena. How do you think Alexei would take that?"

"Alexei can't take anything. He's _dead_."

"Don't you think I know that? You're not the only person who lost someone. Yes, he was your brother and you were close, but we all lost a good friend and a good soldier. Did you think that I wasn't upset, too? Because I was, but I held myself together and saved you from dying too."

"Don't you dare act as if any of the others came close to losing what I did. He was the _only _person I had left and now he's _gone_. Yet you act as if I should forget about it! I'm trying my best here to keep it together to make sure that what he dreamed of can happen. _That's_ why I'm still with Bane; that's why I am trying my best to keep everything under control, but I'm only human. This is new to me and I make mistakes."

"We have all lost someone. You're not the first and you won't be the last."

"I lost someone two days ago and I didn't even get a chance to bury him." Lena glared at Barsad, doing her best to keep her tongue from flying even more. She knew he was right: everyone had lost someone and yes, if she wasn't the one who had one the losing, she might have thought herself bratty. The pain and hurt over Alexei's death was still there, unflinching and cruel as it washed over her in waves of guilt. He died without her there. Alone and in a plane with the bodies of those Americans. He burned with them.

It wasn't right. The hurt over losing her brother was just…too much. After finally having him for four years he was gone again. Disappeared from her life. Except this time, she knew he wasn't going to come back. He had always told her he would be there. From the day that they had arrived in the orphanage in Georgia after fleeing Abkhazia, Alexei had sworn they would stick together – brother and sister against the world. He had left her once before and now he left her again. Except this time he wouldn't randomly appear one day with a masked man and ask her to join him.

Barsad said nothing. He ruffled his short reddish-brown hair and looked away from her. Lena dropped her arms from her chest and turned around, walking back towards the warehouse where she saw the people sitting outside. After a few steps, she heard the unmistakable sound of his signature gait: a long, pregnant pause between his strides as if his legs were so long that they covered the distance of two steps in one.

When she stopped in front of the warehouse, none of the people really paid much attention to her, too wrapped up in their conversations to notice that someone had come to them. Chewing on the inside of her cheek habitually, she scanned the faces – dirty, long – and looked for someone that matched what Bane wanted: young, eager, poor. Sadly, she found that there were plenty of those. Too many for her liking.

"So where do we start?" Barsad asked her. She peeked over where he stood next to her and shrugged. Putting her focus back on the faces in front of her, she asked herself the same question. With this many people looking for work, how were they supposed to weed through them and find someone that Bane would probably want to take in? Barsad sighed beside her. "Well we probably don't want anyone with familial ties. Orphans, maybe?"

"They would fit right in with us," she whispered sadly. Strands of her hair blew in her face and she tossed her head a little, flipping her ponytail behind her back. People in front of her shivered and pulled their threadbare coats closer to their bodies as they continued talking. Her heart tugged a little and she looked away, clearing her throat awkwardly. Alexei had always warned her that her heart was too soft.

Barsad continued either not hearing her or not wanting to comment on the subject. "Young but not too young. Mid to late teens more than likely. They're always eager to do something at that age."

"Are we really going to do this like that?" She asked, turning to face him with her arms crossed over her chest again. "I mean, they're not dogs, they're _people. _You're making it seem as if we're trying to pick out a new pet or something."

"Wouldn't know what that was like." Barsad said emotionlessly with shrugged shoulders. "I've never had one."

"It's just…remember that they are _people_. Victims, I might add." She shook her head and one more looked at the people who had now completely lost interest in the two of them. "How are we supposed to choose anyway? They all look so…"

"Victimized?"

"Yeah."

"Lena, you have to remember that they have a choice too. They stood by and let themselves be taken control of. They're…They're not like us. We stood up, we said _no_. We fought back." He gestured towards the people. "They haven't, and they never will."

"Maybe they haven't been given the chance. Alexei didn't even think of seeking revenge for what happened to our people until he met you," she glared at him.

Barsad's mouth gaped open a bit, his stance turning a bit defensive now that she had called him out. "Are you accusing me of something? Alexei had free will to do whatever he wanted. He didn't have to come with me and the Brothers."

He was right. Alexei certainly hadn't been forced into doing anything. Joining the Forest Brothers might have allied him with the wrong sort of people, leading him to Bane and ultimately…well, _death_; but he had decided to join the rebellious group without any force from anyone. And yes, the actions of said group might have landed him in jail – that horrible place that he _never _spoke about, not even to her – he still never spoke of regretting it. Despite the apparent horrors he had seen in there, Alexei never voiced anything but gladness for the time, saying that it had brought him into Bane's graces.

Still, she almost couldn't help but blame Barsad in some way. He had been there after all. Alexei had never spoke of getting any sort of revenge on the Abkhazians when they were younger or even before he had just left the orphanage. It seemed that the violent thoughts only happened once he met Barsad and his so-called friends. Barsad might have stuck with him despite never being captured by the army, but where were the others? They certainly hadn't been there when Alexei needed them.

It might have been misplaced anger. Even Lena could admit that. Still, she couldn't shake that and hadn't been able to for years now. She tried not to let it get to her – and obviously, it hadn't _too_ much since they had a sort-of fling going on for time now – but sometimes, she really just wanted to blame him for everything. Maybe even hit him if she could. Not that she could; Barsad was a far better fighter than she could ever _dream_ of being.

"Let's just focus on what Bane told us to do," she said with a shake of her head, trying to get the conversation back to a safer topic.

"No. Tell me how you've really been feeling about Alexei and I for the past four years."

"It's not important. The past is the past – can we please just stop talking about it? I never should have brought it up."

"Well you did."

"Erik!" She hissed. "I asked for you to drop it. I'm not going to say anything regardless so just _let it go_. Please. I really don't want to get into it anymore."

He sighed, his shoulders heaving and he shook his head in disappointment. "I don't understand how you could possibly blame Alexei's imprisonment on me after all of these years. He got caught and that was his mistake. Believe me, I hate it for him and everything he had to go through, but he made a choice. Just like me, and just like you. Just like _them_," he inclined his head towards the people in front of the warehouse. "We all make choices. Some of us just make the wrong ones."

"But what if the choices we make are not really choices?" She asked off-handedly, more so thinking aloud than continuing the conversation. Realizing that she spoke aloud, Lena broke off her train of thought by clearing her throat. She tucked her hands into the front pocket of her black cargo jeans. Looking down at her attire, she chuckled a little. "I think our outfits are going to make us look like weird gang members."

"Maybe so," he glanced down at his own before looking over at hers. "I think you look fine, but that's not anything different." Barsad gave her a smile, but she saw that there was something behind it. Had she hurt his feelings? Possibly. She had basically kind of accused him of indirectly leading to Alexei's death. She really should watch what she said aloud around him from now on.

Lena saw that a few of the people were going inside of the warehouse now that the sun was going down. The air was getting noticeably cooler, but it was nothing compared to Uzbekistan. Having spent most of her life in eastern Russia, she was practically immune to the cold.

"Well," she said awkwardly, stepping towards it slowly and scuffing her combat boots against the concrete. "Might as well go in and see who we can find. Let's just…," she paused and looked to Barsad, "let's not forget that they're people too; regardless of whatever choice they might have made."

He gave her a nod and came up beside her, walking with her towards the rather old-looking building that seemed to house more than it should. The windows were busted out in most places but cardboard boxes were duct-taped to the front in order to provide some shelter from the wind. Even though she had heard that duct-tape fixed everything…did it really work against the natural elements? Odd.

Some of the people looked up at them as they neared. Up-close they seemed even more weathered than from far away. If they looked this cold during the fall months, how would they be when winter came? Not sure if she wanted to know the answer to that, she offered a small smile which none returned, save for a little girl with lopsided pigtails. Barsad put a hand up to her back and lightly pushed her inside, right into the middle of a rather crowded building.

Several sleeping bags were lined up on the sides but people were mainly cluttered about in wherever there was a free space. Despite the chill outside, it was rather warm in the warehouse due to the sheer amount of people in the small building. People were talking loudly, acting normal despite the fact that the way they were living was certainly everything but. Lena let Barsad take the lead, following him step for step as they scanned the crowds for any boys looking to be in their middle teens.

_"I don't see any groups of boys. These seem to all have families,"_ she shouted to Barsad in Georgian. Despite shouting to be heard over the people, he still didn't seem to acknowledge what she said and she reached forward, tugging on his hand so that he stopped and turned towards her. "_I said: I think all of these boys have families. We're looking for orphans."_

_"Ask someone where we can find some."_

_"Barsad, this isn't a market, you can't simply ask someone where you can find some boys." _She tried to stifle her laugh.

_"You know what I meant. Just ask someone that looks like they would help us."_

_"Why don't you ask?"_

_"You're a woman. They'd probably feel better telling you where you can find boys than a man asking them."_ She shrugged her shoulders. Supposing he was right, she turned around and searched for a friendly enough face.

Spotting one in an elderly woman with a baby girl sitting on her lap, Lena went towards her, crouching down in front of her with a gentle smile. "Hello. Can you help us? We're looking for our son. He left the House we were staying in to go hand out with his friends but we can't find them anywhere. Do you know where they might have gone? We're more than a little worried. These boys…they're not exactly the best influences. They're about sixteen, orphans."

The woman's eyes went back and forth between Barsad and Lena, both of whom tried to look as friendly and open as possible. "A few boys like the ones you're describing stay down by the skate park on the other side of the Narrows. There's also the orphanage in town you can check. St Swithin's is the most popular for boys but it only houses younger ones. You can still see, though."

Lena nodded. "Thank you so very much. I appreciate the help more than anything." Standing swiftly, she grabbed Barsad's hand and practically ran out of the building, stopping only when they were outside. "St. Swithin's is in town, but she said that younger boys stayed there. Perhaps we should try the skate park instead?"

"Seems like it would be a good place. Boys like to skate and she said orphans stayed there a lot."

"Boys are not the _only_ ones who like to skate," she teased. Lena did feel sort of bad for being ill just earlier before. She didn't like arguing – who did? Especially not with Barsad. Now that Alexei was gone, he was the person she was closest to that was still alive. Well, he and Abia though she did have a longer, erm, _friendship_ with Erik. She really shouldn't try to alienate her allies when men like Glennis were looking for any opportunity to bring her down and when Bane was looking for anything to ridicule her for. In the coming months, she would really need men like Barsad and Pavov to be there for her.

"As if you would ever know – have you even been to a skate park before?" Barsad asked, throwing her a small smile. The corners of his eyes wrinkled up though and she knew she was forgiven for anything and everything.

"Not _exactly. _What?"

"You lived in London for all those years and never one went to a park?"

"Parks? Yes. Skate parks? No. I had too much to do and couldn't take time to waste the day away at a skate park when I don't even know how to skate."

"Then how do you know boys are not the only ones who like to skate?"

She threw her hands up in exasperation even though she knew they were only teasing each other. "Because I'm just good like that. That's proof enough, okay? Happy now?"

"No," he shook his head, extending one of his left arm out to ruffle the top of her hair. She scowled, jumping away from him and bumping into a man who was walking the opposite way next to her. Mumbling an apology, she tried to soothe down her ponytail all the while shooting a deadly glare at Barsad, who was trying desperately not to laugh.

"How about I push you into the street? I think you would look better with a tire running over your face, don't you think?"

"Tire treads don't look well on me. _You _on the other hand…"

She nudged him not-too-gently with her elbow. "Save it."

It didn't take long for them to find the skate park. Even though the woman in the warehouse hadn't exactly given them clearer directions than _on the other side of town_, they made it relatively quick. Of course, Barsad and Lena had to ask a man along the way because Barsad didn't know how to read one of the street signs. They tried to keep up with what direction they were going so that they could make it back easily. Luckily, Barsad could read English a lot better than Lena could. Otherwise, they could have been lost when they went back.

Lena crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the fence by her left hipbone and chewing on the inside of her right cheek as she always did when she was really thinking. The woman was right – a lot of boys _did_ stay around this area. She could tell by the way they dressed that they were more than likely orphans, or at least, abandoned. Something about their faces and the way the clothes sort of… _hung_ off of them made her know for certain.

Plus, one orphan always could tell apart a normal kid from one of their kind. Looking to Barsad, she nodded her head, letting him know that these were probably the ones that they were searching for. A few boys zipped past them on skateboards and others did tricks off to the side, mostly out of everyone else's way. She scanned the small enclosure as best she could, trying to avoid the eye-catching gang graffiti in favor of young boy's faces.

"There?" She asked and waved her hand towards a group of cleaner-looking boys. "They've got some meat on them. Probably newly put out of whatever foster home or orphanage. Clothes are not nearly as tattered and their cheekbones are not as sharp," Lena swallowed, suddenly feeling more than a little dirty. "They're ethnic as well and will probably bond better with the others. Strong boys, too. They can do some heavy lifting; if that's something that Bane wants them to do."

"Good choice," Barsad said pleasantly, nodding in approval. Lena struggled to keep herself in control. After that observation, all she wanted to do was climb behind one of the dumpsters and just…be. "Let's go."

Lena pushed away from the fence and followed Barsad as he went through the opened gate. She had to scramble back a few steps as a boy on skates sped past her, her eyes wide as she saw him leap up and over a bench, landing smoothly as he continued to roll around the concrete paths. Reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, she checked to make sure no one else was coming her way before she made her way back to Barsad and the very small group of boys up ahead.

_"You speak to them first,"_ he instructed when she made it back beside him. He didn't have to explain why she should speak rather than him; Lena already knew the answer and had used it to her advantage multiple times – she simply looked a lot more trustworthy than say, Barsad did. It had worked with the hotel clerk at Pavel's hotel and it had worked before then as well. Surely it would work now.

Clearing her throat when they came nearer, she stepped in front of Barsad and clasped her hands in front of her. She didn't smile, but she tried to look as friendly as possible. "Are you young men looking for work?" Lena asked and their attention was instantly grabbed, heads turning to look at her with curiosity. And some wariness. "John Daggett of _Daggett Industries _has hired us to work on some remodeling recently. We are new to Gotham – if you cannot tell already – and are looking for young locals to help out. Are any of you interested?"

"Do we need to have any papers? Identification, forms to fill out for legal purposes?" A young Hispanic boy asked his voice heavy with what she assumed to be a Latin accent.

She shook her head. "We know that Gotham is going through tough economic times and only want to help those that can probably not get a job elsewhere. You will be paid for your work, naturally, but we do not wish to have any documentation of you working with and for us."

"Is that…legal?"

"Not necessarily," she smiled at the other boy who asked the question. "The work isn't dangerous or hard – just fixing some cement in places where it is old and needs some reinforcement. Besides, we will not tell if you don't."

"If it's not hard then why do you need for us to come in? Why can't your workers do it?''

This time, Barsad answered. "We signed several different contracts at the same time. Our workers will be doing other jobs and now we are looking for some boys to do the easiest of the jobs we were hired to do."

Some of the boys still looked a little skeptical. On one hand, Lena was glad that they were – that meant that the boys had some brains in them. Then again, it also meant that she might have to spend longer than normal trying to convince them to join her and Barsad. "We understand that it sounds too good to be true and all, but we're just trying to help you guys out. If you're not interested, or don't trust us, we can go somewhere else…"

The Hispanic boy who had asked the first question stood up, "no, _no_ – we don't want you to go see anywhere else. We just wanted to ask a few questions before some of us, you know, maybe took the job? People in this city, they're kind of crazy, you know?"

She smiled. "I know, but luckily we're not one of those kind." As if.

"If you're interested, get some other boys – no more than say, fifteen, okay? – and meet us as the warehouse across from the old pipe entrance on the other side of town. Do you know where that is?" Barsad asked and they nodded their heads. Eyes alight with excitement at the prospect of a job, they began to chatter in their own native language as the two of them slowly backed away a little awkwardly. "Well, that went well."

"They're desperate. Of course it went well," she replied. Discomfort eased its' way into her stomach and she tried not to think about the fact that the boys would also be under Bane's hand now. She knew that they would be doing what she told them they were going to do: work on concrete throughout the town for Daggett. She also knew that there would be something mixed in with the concrete. Explosives, for when they would take over Gotham. Dangerous work; but it was work and the boys seemed eager to get to it.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, stepping outside the small gate and into the safety of the street. Street lights were beginning to come on now that Gotham we slowly being covered in darkness, but the dim brightness did not do much to light the path back to the pipes.

As she and Barsad walked on, she wondered whether or not she had just made a huge mistake. She was only doing her job, right? It would only help speed along the process to give Gotham back to its' people – to rid it of the corruption and crime that had ruined it. This was Alexei's dream, one that she was fervently hoping would become a reality just for him. It wasn't necessarily wrong, was it? The boys would be making some money along the way, and that would be just a few more starving kids off the streets. Yes, it wasn't too wrong. She was helping them out whilst they were helping her.

If all of this was true…then why did she feel so guilty about it?

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys :D I hope that you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I'd love to hear from you! Let's be friendzies. **

**A very dear friend of mine, ClownQween'69 _(read her stuff, it's amazing)_ has created a really AWESOME forum for all of us Batman lovers. You can find the link on my profile. It's really freaking cool and she has topics set up for anything under the Bat Signal. Whether you're a comic fan, animated series fan, game fan, or Nolanverse fan, we'd love to have you!**

**Hope you're doing great! Thanks for reading. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Fire. Fire and heat swarmed all around her, soaking her up in the blaze as she shielded her eyes. The smell of something burning filled her senses and took over almost everything except for the sense of feeling. A searing pain covered her entire body as the flames flickered all around her. They did not touch her – but they were close enough to hurt more than anything. Lena almost wanted to jump into them just to escape the agony. But she could not – she could not even move from where she stood rooted to the ground as if she was a statue welded to stone.

Even though her body felt as if it was on fire, her legs were frozen. They refused to shift regardless of how hard she tried. She tried – and tried _hard_ – but nothing happened. Her hands could move and as she dropped her arm back down to her side she looked down at her legs. She could see them. They were there. She just could not _control _them. Something was wrong. This…this was not right. What was going on?

_"Lena_," she heard someone call out from within the flames. Lena looked up, the pain of the fire around her diminishing ever so slowly even though her eyesight was growing dimmer. She squinted her eyes, fighting against the black fuzziness that was slowly but surely ebbing into her vision like ink on paper. _"Lena!_"

She tried to open her mouth to speak. With what felt like more than enough exertion required to do such a simple act, Lena managed to part her lips; but when she tried to speak…nothing. Just like how she could not move her legs, no words would escape her throat. Stopped there by something that she did not know of, her words died before they even reached her lips despite her trying over and over and over. She wanted to ask who was calling for her. How did they know her name? Where were they? More importantly, where was _she__?_

The fact that she could not speak was more frustrating than not being able to move. Not moving from this spot in the fire she might be able to handle – as long as the searing pain of her body burning did not return. Despite the fact that she was _still_ in the same spot the pain had faded slightly. It was not completely gone – but for the moment, it was bearable. This, she could handle. Pain? She had come to be able to cope with. Not being able to speak, though, was another problem entirely. How was she to figure out who was calling her name when she could not reply to them?

Lena squinted her eyes again to see through the red-hot flames and brought her arm up so that her hand could cover the area above her eyebrows, making a little shade so that she might be able to see better. It did not help of course; the light was coming from beneath and below and to her sides, not from above. She kept it up there regardless, figuring that she would keep moving her hands until she lost the ability to in them as well.

_There_. Just in front of her someone was walking towards her. Or…crawling? Yes, someone was _crawling_ towards her. She tried to speak again but found that once again, she could not. Who was that? She kept her eyes straight on that person, their head ducked down so that she could not see them, and shoulder-length brown hair covering up any distinguishable features as they slowly made their way through the fire.

No. She paused, breath catching as she suddenly forgot how to do anything but the skill of having her jaw drop slightly. That…that could not be. _It could not be him_. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as the figure became clearer, the face clearly recognizable.

Once she realized who her company was, the figure raised his head and removed all doubts of his identity. Alexei stared at her, eyes wide and angry, filled with as much contempt and hatred as a sole person could possibly handle. It caught her off guard, and if she could move, she would probably stumble back and away from him as he came near, possibly even run away. Welts began to grow on his face and arms from the fire, the heat getting to him as his shirt was burned away from his flesh. His chest was covered in scars, as red and angry as the fire that surrounded the two of them. His tattoo was slowly melting away, the lines running down his chest until they evaporated from the sheer heat.

_"I needed you and you were not there. You let me _burn_, alone."_ He accused, spitting at her as he drew himself up into a standing position just in front of her. It was everything she had feared - Alexei believing that she had abandoned him to his fate without fighting back. But she _hadn't_, she _hadn't _abandoned him.

She wanted to speak and tell him that she did not know he was going to die – that she thought he would be safe with Bane - that he _should _have been safe with Bane. If there was anyone to blame for this it would be his precious leader, not her. She was doing all she could to make sure that his memory did not die in that plane; that she was working hard to give his legacy alive by finally committing to Bane. She was different now – she had changed for _him_. She would have given everything to be with him in those final moments, to undo a broken promise they had made each other four years ago.

But she could not. Try as she might, Lena could not get her body to respond to her desires. The only thing she could do was watch with horror as he stepped closer, the horrendous smell of burnt flesh overpowering as he leaned in towards her. A sneer grew on his face.

_"Now it is your turn to burn_," he said, reaching out one hand to push her back into the fire.

* * *

_Alexei._ Lena sat up in her cot, gasping for breath as her eyes flew open. The fire was gone – _Alexei_ was gone. All that was there were her, the cot, and the blackness of a dimly lit room. She was sweating, her face and chest damp and her legs sticking to the sheets. Desperate to feel cool air, she ripped them away, clambering out of bed as quickly as she could. Clad in nothing but a white tank top and a pair of underwear, it did not take long before the chill of the tunnel's air to settle in her body, but she paid it no mind as she ran a clenched fist through her hair.

It took her a moment to realize that she was crying; that the wetness on her cheeks was not just from sweat. Covering her mouth with her right hand, she let out a strained sob, choked and mangled by the tightness of a dry throat. Leaning against the wall, she placed her forehead against it before sliding down, her shoulder pressing into it while her legs splayed out in front of her.

On the cot to her right she heard Barsad shift a little, grunting as he was met with an empty side of the bed. Lena froze and tried to control her whimpers, not wanting wake Barsad again. This hadn't been the first nightmare she had since they came in Gotham. It seemed that even her nightmares followed her into the States.

Letting a small sigh escape her lips, Lena rested her head against the wall and shuddered a little. What she wanted to do now was cry, a horrible sadness creeping into her. The way Alexei had looked at her… it was _awful_. More than awful. It sucked up everything she had in her, leaving her with practically nothing; an emptiness that shook her more than the smothered sobs that caught in her throat. She knew that she would probably get nightmares – they had plagued her ever since she was young for some reason. Despite that, she was _not_ prepared for the intensity of them nor the way they totally devastated her.

Her hand still covered her mouth. Lena closed her eyes and bit her lip tightly. She really did not want to wake Barsad. Not now. To wake him up would mean that she would have to explain the dream, and Lena was not so sure that she wanted to re-live the pure hatred that she had seen in her brother's eyes. That had hurt more than any physical wound she had ever received in her life – possibly, had hurt more than all of those combined. The very thought of _wondering_ if Alexei believed she had abandoned him in his final moments was…too much for her to bare right now.

Lena let her hand fall back down in her lap, now no longer feeling that she would burs t into tears at any moment. Surely it was almost time for them to all wake up anyway. Doing something would take her mind off of the nightmares.

Her heart rate was slowing down and she felt like she could breathe normally again. Lena took in a deep breath to help speed along the calming process, then breathed out like Pavov had told he rot do in times like these. She winced a little at the soreness in her side from her fighting practice with Abia and Barsad the day before.

It was time like this when she wished they were back in Uzbekistan. Not only had she been somewhat happier there, but their home had windows that looked out into the mountains. The place they were in now might have been more secure, but welcoming and comfortable it was not. Lena turned her torso that the wall rested against her back, her hair all falling over one shoulder as she closed her eyes, sucking in one more breath. The air was stale here; much like one would imagine the air would be in a tunnel. Back in Uzbekistan, the air had been cool and clean, fresh to the body and more comforting and relaxing than anything in the world.

She missed the mountains. The home. The freedom. Gotham was a somewhat nice town if you were in the heart of the city, but other than that? She could certainly escape it and not really miss it at all. She missed the little farmer's markets on the mountainside, the trees and the lakes with the fish. Gotham did not have that. All Gotham seemed to have was disguised misery and tall buildings. Nothing that it should be proud of, she thought. Then again, that could have been just because she had a taste of paradise in Eastern Russia.

Opening her eyes, she lost the image of the peaceful place that had been her sanctuary for four years. Yes, Bane had been there and she was not particularly fond of him, but that did not matter. It had been her home regardless. There, she had Alexei, Erik, Abia, Pavov, and so many others that she considered friends, maybe even family to some extent. Here? She almost felt…alienated.

Lena sighed. Her bare thighs were getting chilled from sitting on the concrete floor. She stood, putting one hand on the wall to steady herself as her legs shook a little. Barsad moved again on the cot that was just big enough for two, the sole black sheet dipping down to his mid stomach. In the faint light of the small lamp in the corner, she could clearly make out his black tattoo that stretched from the middle of his back and wound around his side and stopped just in the middle of his stomach. It was the same tattoo that she and Alexei had – that all of Bane's army had. A signal of pride, Alexei had called it after they received it.

A sign that they could never leave, never escape Bane, what she had called it.

She went to the duffle bag that lay open on the floor in the corner of the tiny bedroom. Luckily, there were enough rooms in the pipes so that the small portion of Bane's army that had come could have their own room. What they did when everyone else came was lost on her, but maybe by then they would have control over other parts of the city.

After grabbing a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black cargos, she dressed quickly and as quietly as she could. She pulled a long hoodie over her head, tugging her hair out from where it was tucked between her back and the fabric. Flipping to over one shoulder like she normally did, Lena played with the hem a little, tugging it down more and more so that it went to just above her mid-thigh. She then slipped her feet into her boots, lacing them so that they were tight around her ankles.

A quick glance was sent to Barsad and she was relieved to see that he was still asleep. If he had woken up, he would insist on going with her when she went running and right now she really just wanted to go alone. Soundlessly, Lena went to the door and opened it, slipping out, tugging the door behind her so that it closed with a light _click_. She paused right outside the door, turning her head so that she could see down both ends of the hallway. A shadow flickered down the right side, away from the direction she was going, as a mercenary went to the bathroom down there.

Lena turned and went down her end. Going towards the opening so that she could make her way outside, she tugged her hair up into a high ponytail so that it would be out of her face and off of her neck when she ran. It was still early morning – evident by the lack of activity in the large entrance when she went through it. The large door was propped open, some of it open so that she and others could open it without using multiple people or Bane.

Ducking, she slipped under and into the darkness of the tunnel. Despite the fact that she could not see well at all, she found one of the SUVs with little difficulty and hopped inside of it, digging underneath the seat for the keys. She finally found them and jammed them into the ignition, cranking the vehicle and pulling away from the wall that it was by.

She parked right outside the entrance to the tunnel, where she and Erik had parked it just a few days before when they went to the skate park. Putting the keys in her pocket, Lena got out quickly and locked the car doors behind her. The sun outside had not come up completely yet and there were a lot of clouds overhead, giving the Narrows a depressing and grey-toned feel to it. Streetlights were already off but the streets were pretty much empty.

She tugged at her ponytail again to make sure that it would not fall before breaking out into a slow trot. She stayed on the cracked sidewalk, not veering into the street or getting too close to the buildings to her left. She followed the same path everyday: alternating turns as she ran close to four miles all around the island.

The run helped clear her head. It got rid of most of the images of her nightmare that still stayed with her. Images of the fire burning Alexei's body, his tattoo melting off of him, that _look_. She sped up. Her feet and boots pounded heavily against the ground. A steady rhythm, not too fast paced, but just enough to get her blood pumping, heart beating, and skin warm. She kept up the pace for a while. Ever since she had moved to London, she had taken up running to burn some energy and help her sleep better at night. It was therapeutic. Her go-to for whenever she felt confused, frustrated, or anything else really. She smiled a little at that: Seemed like she would probably be running a lot lately.

She slowed down when she got to the small harbor. Putting her hands on her hips, she breathed in heavily, almost gasping as she tried to get back her breath and energy. Her legs were on fire but she managed to walk to a small, weathered stump of wood and collapse on top of it. Her hoodie had long since been discarded and instead was tied around her waist, providing her an extra cushion when she settled down and stretched her long legs out in front of her.

Lena slumped forward. Hair loose from the ponytail, she shook her head to the side so that the stray pieces would stop slapping her in the face. It had been a while since she had been near this big of a body of water and she had forgotten how much she just _loved_ water. Stretching out until she could not see it anymore, filled with so many different kinds of creatures and fish, so much unknown in it. Water – open bodies of water like this especially – was beautiful. Small, gentle waves slapped against the concrete slabs and the sound lulled her into a more peaceful state of mind, just like the one she had when she ran.

She closed her eyes and just…breathed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Someone asked behind her. She jumped, unaware that she had not been alone and turned her head to look over her shoulder. A young man with dark hair and eyes smiled at her, his hands tucked into the pockets of blue uniform as he stepped forward rather cautiously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

Lena shrugged her shoulders and looked back to the water. "It's fine. I was just leaving anyway." She stood, her hands quickly dusting the back of her pants as she pivoted to leave the wharf. What she wanted right now was to be alone – not chit-chat with a stranger.

"No, no don't leave on my account. I was just making my morning rounds as usual. Please, stay." He gestured back to the stump she had been sitting on. "Your accent is a little strange. You're not from around here, are you?"

That was an understatement. Instead of speaking aloud though, she shook her head, her hands quickly making work of untying her hoodie around her waist so that she could pull it back over her head.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything." He said, noticing that she wasn't walking away like she had started to. Why wasn't she? Her eyes went back to the view that she had just a few moments before. Oh, right. This view was perfect and she really did not want to go back to the tunnels just yet. Not for some time. Later, yes – later would be good. But if he was going to stay here with her… she did not know if she was ready for a full conversation with a native English speaker in the first place, much less trying to figure out what they could talk about.

So, she simply shook her head again and then realized that he probably was questioning her mental capacity. "No, I am not. I am visiting from Georgia on a business trip," the lie came easily to her just like they always did. How she managed to be such a good liar was lost on her. She was never able to lie when it matter – with Bane, for example.

"I'm guessing you mean Georgia the country and not Georgia the state, right? I've heard a lot of southern accents and yours doesn't sound like any of those." He smiled again at her charmingly.

Lena could not help but smile back. "Right."

He hesitated for a moment then came closer, her body stiffening until he stretched out a sole, empty hand from that had formerly been concealed in his jacket. "My name is Officer Blake – John Blake, if you will." She looked down at his hand for a second. What was she supposed to do? Wavering slightly, she stretched out her own hand unsurely and put it in his, wrapping her fingers around his when he clenched his hand together. He gave her two quick shakes before dropping it, her nails gently scraping against the pads of his fingers as she let her own fall back by her side.

It took her another moment to realize that he was waiting for her name in return. "I'm…Lena," she said, deciding to go with her real name rather than a fake one. When would she meet _John Blake _again, anyway? "Lena Dura."

"Nice to meet you," his eyes crinkled when he smiled just like Barsad's did, except his was more exaggerated and she wondered stupidly if he could see when he smiled like that. He coughed once into his hand then tucked them into the front pockets of his dark navy pants. "Well I was coming by to warn you about some of the ships that come in. They can cause quite a bit of splash and that water is pretty cold when it hits you. In a few weeks it will start freezing over."

"Thanks," she mumbled and looked back to the little post she had been perched on. Would the water really reach that far?

As if reading her mind, he replied, "I myself have sat there a few times when I'm on break. Can't tell you how many days I've had to go back home and change due to the water. The boat drivers – they are not the most _considerate_ types. Especially the ones who pull up to this dock."

"Why this dock in particular? It seems like it would be a decent stop."

He gave her a look. "It's right up against the Narrows. Most of the cargo would be stolen if they broke away from their boats for even a minute. That's why no one leaves their boats here over night. It's too risky."

"Oh," she nodded her head as if she understood," that makes sense, I suppose."

"You haven't been here for very long, have you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Long enough. Two weeks to be exact. _Too _long in my opinion."

"Homesick?" Lena paused for a moment. Why was she telling him all of this? "I could say I understood but I don't. I've been in Gotham most of my life and never made it out past New York state boundaries, much less traveled across an ocean."

Honestly, his admission at never leaving his home confused her more than anything. She never really had a home when she thought about it – never had a place that she stayed in for more than four years with the exception of the orphanage in Georgia. Even her homeland was not really her home. She could not even remember Abkhazia. Alexei and Barsad had gone back. She had not. Especially after revisiting their homeland had done nothing but put Alexei in jail. That place only had sadness to it; it certainly would never be a home to her.

After being across most of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the notion that someone would remain in one tiny corner of a _state_ was…astonishing and surprising. There was just so much to see in the world – so much that she had been able to witness and soak in. Yet, at the same time that she felt the need to ridicule him for not venturing out further, she could not help but feel some envy. How many times had she been to a new country and yearned to stay for longer than a few months? Too many to count. How often had she wanted to curse at Bane for shifting them around the continent just when she was becoming comfortable? More than she could remember.

This stranger – this _John Blake_ – had both her ridicule and her resentment; and for such a rather miniscule thing. There were other things that she should be jealous of: the self-assured way he stood, the easy smile that spread across his face, and the way he seemed to be so kind and earnest when he spoke were just some of those things. But no, instead she was feeling a growing anger at the fact that _he_ had a home, a place where he could feel completely comfortable and himself in, a place that he knew would be there when he returned, a place in which he could feel safe when he went to it. While she… she did not.

"Gotham isn't that bad. Not really. It's certainly been worse." Worse? How could It be any worse than this? Homeless men and women and children on the street; men like Daggett and Wayne ruling over politics and the like. This – this was not even living. This was horrific, a hell hole in which only the rich survived. How could Blake even say such things?

She held her tongue though, knowing that an ordinary tourist would not speak so vehemently about such things. Homelessness, hunger, and corruption was everywhere in the world. Gotham just happened to be a bigger blight than the others.

Blake seemed to notice her awkwardness and gave her a smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you Lena. I hope that you enjoy Gotham." He turned, almost like a bow out but stopped walking to look over his shoulder. "Another word of warning: be careful in these parts. The Narrows isn't exactly known for being nice; especially to unfamiliar faces."

* * *

She trained with Abia again when she got back to the tunnels.

Lena could tell that now she was putting some effort into these practices that she was getting better. Abia's hits did not make contact nearly as often – though often enough to leave her with multiple bruises all over her pale skin – and she found that hers hit a lot more than they had before. She still had problems with being repetitive and predictable. But in her mind, progress was progress, and she was happy enough with the rate that she was going.

"You duck too early," Abia commented when she tossed a water bottle and a damp rag to Lena. She caught them, quickly fumbling with the plastic cap and lifting it to her lips. "You give your opponent too much time to change the direction of their hit. Wait just a little bit longer and it would be perfect."

Lena returned the critique with a slight gasp, her breathlessness making it difficult to take in a swig of the desperately needed water. Her legs burned. Her chest burned. Her arms burned. Her _everything_ burned from exertion and her lungs were not omitted from that. She finally managed to swallow a large gulp, the water cooling down her parched and dry throat but she continued to drink until the bottle was empty and the side of her stomach ached from fullness.

"Remind me to never enter a drinking game against you." Abia chuckled. "Slow down, you're just going to hurt yourself drinking that quickly." She muttered something in Arabic and shook her head.

Lena dropped the plastic bottle onto the ground before buckling her knees and sinking down herself, landing in a heap with her legs splayed and arms stretched out in front of her resting on her kneecaps. She was purely exhausted. The run earlier combined with the beefed up training exercises? It was complete torture on her body. She lifted one shaky arm to wipe the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand then remembered that she had a cool towel and used that instead.

"Should we go again?" Abia asked and Lena shot her a death glare, still not able to catch her breath enough to even give that idiotic statement a reply. Not that it was needed. Abia laughed even more, shrugging her shoulders and turning on her heel to go back to…wherever it was that she liked to go. She knew that Lena needed space – and thankfully – she was giving it to her.

Lena laid down, the ridge of her ponytail bothersome but not nearly enough to make her reach up and let it loose. She sighed, closing her eyes with the wet rag still draped over her forehead. It occurred to her that her bed would be far more comfortable, or even a shower, but then her body groaned at the very idea of moving from the comfortable-enough cold stone floor and she immediately abandoned the idea. That would require getting up, something that she clearly did _not_ want to do at the moment.

She closed her eyes and flopped her arms down beside her, moaning a little. Why did she hurt so _badly_?

"Rough time?" Lena heard above her and instantly recognized the lull, heavily accented voice that had _dared_ disturb her. She felt the toe of Barsad's boot press into the side of her thigh as if he was checking if she was still alive. If her eyes had been opened, they would have narrowed.

"Go. Away," she warned low and quietly. "I swear Erik, if you try to get me up, I will murder you in your sleep."

"That would require actual _sleeping_ on my part," he said and she heard him shuffle. Scant moments later, she felt his hand take off her rag and soothe the hair that was sticking to her forehead back before his light touch left, like he had caught himself doing something that she should not have. "And, if I remember clearly enough, we rarely do any of that nowadays," his tone was lewd and smug and she blushed a little.

"Worry not. You will get _plenty_ of sleep from now on."

"Don't be like that," he nudged her side with his elbow. "I was also referring to the fact that you always _leave_ in the early mornings. Did you think I was always asleep?"

That made her open her eyes.

He nodded. "I know you get up almost every morning around the same time and you leave the tunnels. What you do from then on, I don't know. I don't follow you, if that is what you are afraid of. I also know that you don't sleep well even when you are in the bed. Is there something you want to talk about?"

Lena forced her body to move; rising up to her elbows before bending her knees and rocking forward and up into a standing position with some difficulty. She shook her head; ponytail flopping as she dusted the back of her pants off. "No. I don't want to talk about anything."

"Lena, if your nightmares are coming back –"

"They're not the same ones," she said quietly and held up a hand to stop him as he moved to stand up. He did it regardless and she sighed. "They're…different. But I _do not_ want to talk about them. I spend all day trying to forget them and I will be damned if I bring them up again in the middle of the day."

"You know Alexei said that you should talk –"

" – Alexei isn't here – "

" – and that it would help you – "

" – I don't want to be helped – "

" – this isn't healthy or normal – "

" – I have never claimed to be either." Lena turned away from him and strode towards the entry that would lead her to her bedroom. Barsad followed.

"These nightmares of yours, are they about Alexei?" Her shoulders visibly tensed, jaw tightening as the image of his burning body flashed in her mind. She did not say anything, but then again, she did not have to. Barsad saw her body language and knew instantly. "You should talk to _someone_, if not me then Abia, Pavov, or even _Bane _–"

Pure fury blew up within her and she whirled around, eyes narrowing accusingly at him. "Bane? _Bane?_ You want me to go speak with the man responsible for my brother's death, the man who has created these awful visions in my head, and want me to _talk_ to him about them? I do not think so, Erik."

Barsad held his hands up to her, her wet rag still in his right grasp. "I did not mean anything by it. Bane is a good listener and cares for his men's well-being. Your nightmares affect your sleep, which in turn will affect your training, which will probably get you killed once the revolution begins. Bane does not want that."

"I do not give a damn what Bane wants," she hissed at him. "I may have succumbed to him for Alexei's sake, but I still do not trust the man. He left me alone with _Daggett_."

"That was to test Daggett's loyalty to _him_. He knew that you would be able to fend him off."

"Oh really? And what if I had not been able to? Did you think about that?"

"I am sure Bane would never have let that happen. He despises rape above all things."

"A redeeming quality, but not so when you are in a position that I was in. He scolded me for lashing out at him when Daggett began talking about _us_. I can only imagine what sort of injuries would have happened if Daggett had tried to force himself on me. What would have happened to me then?"

"That – That is not the point." She saw him getting angry and quickly shut her mouth from replying. She could only push him so far when it came to discussions of Bane. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest, turned, and walked away. This time, he did not follow after her.

Lena had just made it to her door when she saw someone come up to her. Seeing that it was Glennis, she sighed, readying herself for a barrage of insults. What she wanted to do was go ahead and disappear into the room, shutting him away from her easily with solid and blatant refusal to speak with him. She knew that she would have to face it anyway. Glennis was not the type to be deterred so easily. So she stayed put with one hand on the knob and the other pressed against the steep frame, waiting and tensing herself in preparation.

"Lena," he said simply, "I am genuinely sorry about Alexei's death." She gasped sharply. Was he going to make a joke at Alexei's expense? That was cruel, even for the likes of _him_. "No – no, I really am. Despite the fact that he and I did not exactly get along, so to speak, he was a good man and a good soldier. He will be missed."

Lena waited for the punch line; for the heart-wrenching, tear-jerking comment that would leave her feeling breathless and abused. But it never came. She waited a few extra moments just to make sure. He said nothing else, just standing there with his hands pressed together. Tightening her grip on the door handle, she dropped her other hand from the door and turned the front of her body to face him, her eyes glued to his, trying to detect any notion of falsehood in them.

But there was none.

"I lost a brother a few years ago. We were close like you and Alexei are – _were_, sorry. I know just how you are feeling right now. My brother was also a good man – just like yours."

"Thank you," she whispered just as sincerely. Tears prickled her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Finally, someone had come to offer a true condolence for her loss – someone finally understood where her pain and hurt was coming from. Surprisingly though, it had come in the form of Glennis, someone that she never thought could even _feel_, much less care how another was feeling. "That – That means more to me than you can imagine."

He looked uncomfortable with her slightly emotional response, his hands fidgeting in front of him. "It gets better after a while. You start to forget… not the person or the circumstance, but the pain. After a while it numbs itself and you finally allow yourself to move on. It goes away; it is just going to take time."

"How much time?" She asked rather pathetically. "How much longer do you suffer until you finally forgive yourself?"

"You never forgive yourself. You just... learn to live with it."

Lena wiped at her eyes. Sniffing, she bit her lip and opened the door, quickly running inside to close it back with a _slam_. It was only then that she allowed the choked sob to break free, her forehead banging against the door as she collapsed against it, sinking slowly to the floor just like she had earlier that day. She cried there; and this time it was not only for Alexei, but also for herself.

She did not know how much longer she could take this. All of this sadness inside was ripping her apart from the inside out, threatening to completely take over. She could not live like this forever - not even for a few more weeks. Everything just..._hurt_. And it was not a physical pain that she could wait out, it was a pain that stabbed deep and hard in her heart and ripped away at everything that held her together. Soon she would be nothing. Soon she would be unable to feel nothing but pain, guilt, and hurt. At least that was what she felt. Despite Glennis' words, the effect that he might have been going for was reversed completely.

Did the pain and hurt never leave? How was she going to _live? _The nightmares, the crying, the emotional havoc was just too much to bear. She could not live like this for much longer.

She just couldn't.

* * *

**A/N: A huge thank you to ClownQween'69 for her shoutout! If you haven't read her stories already - which I'm sure you have - you should check them out because you are greatly missing out. **

**A reminder that you should join us on gothamcitycrazies on forumotion. A link can be found on my profile.**

**The angst will soon be over. Don't fret ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Lena didn't sleep that night.

It wasn't necessarily because she simply wasn't tired – because she was. Her body was more than a bit wore out because of working out earlier. In fact, her eyes even drooped several times as she sat up in bed, looking over a book written in American English with a flashlight propped up over her shoulder. What kept her awake was the fact that she was _alone_.

She hadn't slept alone ever since she came back from Daggett's. Before that, she could barely remember the last time she was by herself in a bed with the exception of a few naps here and there randomly. Normally, Barsad was with her, holding her, and just being there to settle her down. He knew how hard it was for her to stay asleep, much less _fall asleep_, and never before had he abandoned her. But it seemed that this would be the first time. Served her right after all. She had not been exactly nice earlier.

Sighing, she slammed the book closed in her lap, tossing it to the side. She really had to work on reading her English before she tried to tackle another book _again_. Maybe Bane should have been focused on teaching them further than just speaking the language. The flashlight now lay beside her arm where it had fallen when she closed the book and her elbow brushed up against it when she moved to run her hand over her heated forehead. Lena closed her eyes, squinting to fight the oncoming headache from attempting to make out the mess of words in the rather dim lighting.

Why was it so _cold_ in this…dungeon?

Giving up on trying to distract her mind, Lena tore the covers off, shivering as the chill seeped into the fabric of her long flannel pants and black shirt. Rubbing her hands together, she padded over in her sock-covered feet to her duffel bag. She squatted down and rummaged through for a bit before finally pulling out her sweatshirt and pants. Looks like she would be running yet again. By the time they finally let Gotham she probably wouldn't have any fat left on her body considering all the exercise she had been doing lately. Between the running, the training, and the not-sleeping, Lena should be a walking zombie-skeleton before too long.

Standing, she put her arms through the sleeves of the sweatshirt when she was abruptly startled by a rather quiet knock on the door. Head turning to the side to stare at the outline of the metal door frame, she narrowed her eyes as the knock sounded again. Who would be visiting her at this late – or early – hour?

Lena let the sweatshirt slide back down her arms and back into the pile of clothes that were spilling out of the duffle bag. She went to the door and opened it just as the person was preparing to knock for a third time. Startled to see Barsad, she opened her mouth to ask him why he was there when he quickly sealed her lips with his own in a rough, passionate kiss.

She was too shocked to even move, much less delve into the delicious taste of smoke and hint of musk that was _Barsad_, but her eyes slid closed nonetheless. Lena didn't kiss him back but when he pulled away, she felt disappointed at the loss of contact and the warmth of his breath against her cheeks. Lena opened her eyes, looking up at him standing in her doorway with a rather puzzled expression.

"I knew that you wouldn't be able to sleep," he said with a gentle shrug of his shoulders, nearly blending in with the darkness of the unlit hall behind him.

"And so you decided to come here?"

"Well, I see that I was right. Clearly, you couldn't sleep," he nodded his head to her discarded sweatshirt and pants, "about to go running?"

"I was."

"Want a partner?"

"Not really."

"I came here to see if you were okay." His face contorted in a betrayed expression but Lena refused to budge. "You're treating me as if I came here to harm you."

"I am okay," she lied even know she knew he would see through the tiny deception. Her grip tightened on the door handle. "I just need some time to clear my head. Alone."

"Is it really so bad to go running with me? It's not the best time for you to be out there by yourself anyway. These _people _are not exactly most known for their kindness. Especially to pretty young women."

Lena tensed at the words. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

"I have no doubt about that. But it would help ease my mind if you just let me run with you this one time."

"You don't even have your running clothes."

"My room is right down the hall."

"I don't want to wait."

"You're not dressed yet, either."

"I would be if you had not interrupted me."

"_Lena_," he hissed out a string of Russian curses and closed his eyes, lifting one of his hands to run through his short brown hair as he took in a calming breath. For a second, she almost felt a little bad for being so difficult. He had come to her because he knew she wouldn't be able to sleep alone. He _had_ done that for her. And here she was, making things more than difficult for him.

But instead of apologizing, Lena stepped forward, her hand dropping from the doorknob so that she was right in front of him. She stood there, waiting for him as he opened his eyes and lowered his head until he was _right there_ in front of her, watching her somewhat warily as she stared at him. "Why did you come here?" She asked him, knowing that he hadn't given her the full answer before. Barsad had something on his mind as well but the only way he would tell her would be if she coaxed it out of him.

Barsad blinked. "We know each other far too well." A wry grin spread across his face and he chuckled humorlessly for a second before realizing that she wasn't joining in. She wanted to know more than what he was telling her, and she saw his hesitation in his eyes.

He closed off to her then. He didn't answer her, and instead stepped just a little closer, closing the little distance that had been between them before to press his lips to hers once more. His arm, firm and controlled, slip underneath one of hers and pressed against the curve of her back, drawing her hips towards his as his other made a trail up her stomach, over her breast, and behind her neck to hold her there. Lena couldn't back away, couldn't stop him from kissing her so strongly if she wanted too.

But why would she ever want him to stop?

Unlike before, Lena kissed him back just as hard as he was kissing her. Powerfully, charged with agitation at not getting through to him and at being handled so easily. One of her arms dangled uselessly by her side while the other wrapped around his neck so that her hand could bury itself in one of her favorite places: his hair. Curling her fingers around his strands, she lifted herself up a little so that she stood on her toes. Easier access granted, she traced his bottom lip with her tongue before taking it in between her teeth.

Lena could feel the evidence of his desire at the bottom of her stomach; she felt her own in the warmth that spread through her body, centering like a slow inferno beneath her legs like heated coal. This was what she needed – _this_…passion, this taste of something wonderful and warm and comforting and _familiar_. After so long of the two of them using each other, this sort of thing had become almost second nature to them. They were so responsive to each other, almost instantly ready for whenever the situation called for it. She loved that, she loved _them_ together.

Barsad stepped forward, Lena moving with him so that he could kick the door closed. She took the opportunity to push him up against the door, giving him a slow smile before advancing towards him again, locking his lips with hers as she pressed him up into the door.

He liked when she got possessive like this, her movements almost angry as she fought for dominance. His hands squeezed the curve of her hips, hoisting her up for better access and she responded instantaneously, knowing exactly what he wanted. She jumped and he lifted her easily, giving her enough time to wrap her legs around his waist so that their bodies were connected right where they both needed it most.

She moaned deep and low in her throat, throwing her head back so that Barsad's lips could attack the thin skin of her throat with his teeth, lips, and tongue; tracing patterns onto her skin and sending shivers down her spine as he moved forward towards the abandoned bed. He dropped her onto it, Lena landing on top of the sheets and her hair falling out of the loosened braid. She sat up, shaking her head out as her hands went down to the bottom of her shirt, crossing her elbows and pulling it up and over her head, throwing it somewhere behind her where she would find it later.

Clad in her bra and flannel pants, Lena leaned forward and made quick work of Barsad's shirt. When he took over that, her fingers nimbly unbuttoned his pants, dragging them own his hips long with his boxers. Satisfied with what she saw, she leaned forward, biting the sharp hip bones before going lower and running her tongue over his length, taking him deeply into her mouth and moaning as his hands tangled themselves in her hair. She stroked him inside her mouth with her tongue and then sat back, licking her lips and smirking up at him.

Normally, Lena was a reserved person – never in a million years would she had thought that she would enjoy sex so much as she did. But she did now. Maybe it was her partner, maybe it was the empowering feeling of seeing what she could do to a man that made her so much more open, almost as if she was a totally different person. If Barsad noticed, he never said anything. Not that she cared. She was here for as much her own enjoyment as she was for his.

Turning around, she dropped her legs underneath her so that she was kneeling before she put her hands down on the bed. Barsad's nails scratched her skin as he pulled her underwear and pants down her legs, letting them drop around her knees so that she wouldn't have to kick them off and disrupt their flow. Arching her back, she gripped the sheets tightly as Barsad's hands grasped her hips, pulling her back so that he could slide into her easily. Joining, Lena practically growled at the feeling of him inside of her, pulsing and making her clench her inner muscles around him.

Barsad's fingers tightened their grip and she pulled forward – not so much that he was out, but enough so that she could slide back, her ass pressing against his hip bones and spurring her to repeat the motions. She grit her teeth, pushing back against him and rebounding forward as he helped her keep tempo with his own moving hips and hands gripping her curves.

Lena's hands turned bone white with the strength that she was gripping the sheets beneath her. Her legs and arms were shaking from holding herself up and the pleasure of Barsad hitting her in the deepest, best place she could possibly imagine. Spots danced before her eyes and she threw her head back, lips parting and breath escaping in short pants as she squeezed her eyes closed. All of her frustrations were expelled from her mind; her brain only capable of focusing on the way Barsad was making her feel.

She dropped down to her forearms, the new position better on her quivering body and a nice angle as she thrust herself forward and backward to keep in time with Barsad. She squeezed around him. She moaned. She bit her lip. She crumpled the covers in her hands. She _felt_.

In an explosion of pleasure and bliss, the felt her release blossom deep within the pit of her stomach. Biting her lip to keep from moaning too loudly, she rested her head against the bed and slackened her hands, legs shaking even more as Barsad had to hold her up, his release coming as soon as hers had. Lena breathed out sharply, her body crumpling down now that he let go to collapse beside her. Sweat beading on her chest and forehead, she wearily turned to the side and opened bleary eyes to see him lying beside her.

"So you came to run, huh?" She asked when she caught her breath.

Barsad smiled. "Yeah. I came to run."

* * *

Lena slowed to a light jog, her hood falling back from her head as she eventually went into a slow walk. Her chest heaved and legs burned, but once more she ignored those feelings for the release and peace that running gave her. Placing her hands on her hips for support, she slowly went to the pier and plopped down on one of the stumps and sighed. She lifted a hand to push some loose hair that had fallen into her face back out of her way, the sweat forcing it to stay. Rather disgusting, but at least it wasn't dangling annoyingly in her eyes again.

She leaned forward with her hands on her knees, breathing in the cold air and sucking it down into her lugs. Her whole body was heated but she could feel the chill of the cool water go through her clothes and bathe her skin. She really wished that she could just shed everything and go swimming in the wharf, but by the looks of it, some of the areas were beginning to ice over. Swim in that she she'd be dead.

So she settled on sitting on the stump; a short break from running until she decided to make her way back to the pipes and start training again. Bane had always been a stickler for intense training sessions, but it seemed now that they were in Gotham that he was pushing them even harder. Her arms were still aching from the two hour long shooting lesson from Barsad and a rather polite, though quiet, Glennis earlier that morning.

It was still odd, Glennis no longer giving her lengthy looks of hatred. She thought that he would always dislike her for…well, whatever reason it was that he disliked her for. Lena never had been able to tell what she had done to turn the weathered and middle-aged mercenary against her, but he sure had despised her for quite some time there. Except for now, it seemed.

His random conversation the day before still made her more than a little confused. It was nice, she guessed, for him to come out and offer her what he thought was some consolation. And she was grateful that someone wasn't telling her to just move on and forget about it, to hold Alex's sacrifice high and place him as a martyr. Lena was more than appreciative that someone had come to her with understanding, soothed her in a way and was just _real _her. He hadn't tried to lie to her. He wasn't trying to cover up the pain he knew she felt. He was bluntly honest in a way that no one had been. And for that, she owed him something.

It was still weird to her that it was Glennis who had gone out of his way to do that. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Lena frowned, recalling the ugly glances he had given her on numerous occasions. Maybe he was.

She huffed, standing and rising up on her tiptoes to stretch out her calves before dropping back down to the ground. She was tired, bone tired. Luckily, though, she had managed to nab a few hours of sleep once she and Barsad were finished with their… activities. Though unluckily, the deep sleep only left her with a craving for more.

Pulling up her hood back over her head, she turned back towards the streets and jumped back a little, startled to see the policeman from the day before walking leisurely towards her. A grin on his face, his eyes squinted against the sunlight to see her as he came forward, Lena fidgeting as she began to move the other way. Cops were…not to be trusted.

"I think you're following me," he said with a light laugh. "Lena, right?"

"Yes," she replied quietly and stepped away.

Blake – was that his name? – raised his hands in front of him. "Look, I don't mean you any harm or anything like that. I was just making my daily rounds here and saw you sitting here again. Thought I would drop by and say hello."

Lena eyed him for a moment. All she saw in his eyes were caution and sincerity. His hands never moved to his gun or his handcuffs, and the smile was still on his lips. Maybe she could..afford a bit of time to speak with him. Just a little. Rarely did she ever get the opportunity to speak with locals of the places she and Bane's mercenaries went to. Perhaps this could be interesting.

"Sorry. Where I'm from, policemen are not exactly the people you want to be seen talking to in public. Especially in the daytime." She fidgeted with her hands awkwardly for a moment, searching for something to say rather than just standing there like a fool. "So, you – you make _rounds_ down here?"

Blake looked behind him as if examining the area, taking it in though he probably saw It daily. "Yeah. Not many cops do even though the mob wars are basically done. Too many new gangs trying to surface and a lot of cops don't trust the Narrows. I grew up down here so I'm sort of used to it." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh. That's nice. Well, not really but you know what I mean." She mumbled.

"Did they have a lot of gangs where you grew up?"

"Of course. I came from a rather poor part of Manglisi. Gangs tend to thrive in those sections, as I'm sure you already know."

"Right." He nodded his head, smiling brightly. "So, Lena, what brings you here to the states? Vacation? Sight-seeing and what not?"

Lena paused for a moment before answering, "vacation. We're stopping by for a bit before moving on. I have family that lives in Chicago."

He chuckled. "It's _Chi_cago."

"Oh. Sorry, _Chi_cago."

"You really don't have family in Chicago, do you?" She looked up sharply, startled that he had caught her tiny lie. Did he know that she was lying? How could he tell? No, surely he wasn't able to.

"Of course I do. Why else would I be in the states?"

"People who are traveling through normally don't stay in the Narrows. They stay up town where all of the hotels are. Unless you're staying in a rent-by-the-hour room then I highly doubt you're somewhere around here."

"What makes you think that I'm not staying in a hotel up town?"

"Well that would make sense. Which one are you staying at? I can drive you back." Lena was silent. "That's what I thought. Besides, it's ten miles from here. Unless you're a cross-country Olympic gold medalist, I doubt that you'd be able to run there and back without looking more winded."

She crossed her arms uncomfortably, shifting her weight form foot to foot. "So I lied. That's no crime. What are you going to do? Arrest me? I have a passport you know. I can stay here in the States for a while legally."

"No, I'm not going to take you in. I just want to know why you're here and whether or not you know anything about the boys who have been disappearing on this street over the past two weeks. The same amount of time that you told me you had been here yesterday. Know anything about that?"

Lena narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't stop the nervous edge that was making her suddenly jittery. This cop was on to her – _them_. He clearly knew something was going on in the Narrows. Bane had said that no one would miss the boys; that was why she and Barsad had chosen orphans. They were rarely ever missed, if ever at all. She certainly hadn't expected some cop to ask her about the disappearances.

Not trusting her voice, she shook her head and gave herself a little more time to gather herself. "No, I'm afraid I don't know anything about any missing boys. There's just me. I'm here to visit, like I said, just…without family."

"Oh really? How do I know that you're not lying to me this time?" His hand flinched, towards his handcuffs and Lena sucked in a breath.

"I –" Lena started to say before breaking off into a run, darting to the side and out of his grasp.

"Hey!" He called out after her but she was long gone, racing in a zig-zag pattern through the buildings and alleys. Her hood fell back, thumping against her back with every quick step as she kept her eyes straight forward just like Bane had taught them. Run light; run fast; _run_. This wasn't the same running she did when she went to clear her mind. This was _fleeing_.

Lena knew she lost him when she slowed down at a red light. Making sure, she whirled around, breathing heavily as she scanned the aisle that she had emerged from. Seeing no one, Lena turned back around, eyes darting between the street signs, struggling to figure out where she had ended up. To her left were some of the shabbier buildings, probably going deeper into the Narrows. She needed to go the other way, towards the main road somewhere.

Deciding her route, Lena pulled up her hood again to cover her head. She made quick looks around her to make sure that she was still alone before tucking her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt and started walking. Head ducked low, she wove her way in between pedestrians and cars towards the sewer pipes.

It took her a good half-hour to make it back to the pipes. By then her legs were aching and her body was chilled from the wet air. She dropped the hood back off her head and went to the SUV. The ride back to the hideout didn't take as long as it normally did. Now that she got the gist of what to look for, getting in and out of the pipes was easy.

She left the keys on the floorboard and closed the door behind her. From now on, she'd have to be careful to avoid Blake when she was out. Running away like that was probably a stupid move, one that secured her guilt in his eyes but at the time she had _freaked_. Cops and handcuffs and guns… they were not to be taken lightly. She shuddered at the thought of being hauled away like an animal.

Ducking low, she went under the partly-opened gate and into the main area of the hideout. Her sweatshirt came off, the stifling air of the pipes making her start to sweat underneath the heavy fabric. Draping it over her shoulder, Lena went through the partners who were sparring in various spots of the floor and towards where she could see Barsad. Maybe she should tell him about the cop. He would be able to tell her what to do about it. He'd help her.

Bane rose into a standing position and she slowed instantly. His eyes were not on her nor was his body, but the huge spans of his back was and Lena had to force herself to move forward again. Bane wasn't one that she should be scared of anymore. He was helping her; he was helping Alexei.

"He saw us." Abia said, looking down at something. Lena sped up, curious to see whom Abia was talking about. "He cannot be allowed a chance of giving us away. If he does, all of our plans will be ruined."

"What say you, boy?" Bane asked, the mechanical breathing making Lena's hair stand up on the back of her neck. She finally got a good sight of who the two were speaking of: a young boy, one of the first she and Barsad had recruited. A bright red jacket and frightened eyes were all she could see and she stilled instantly. No.

"I – I wasn't going to tell anyone. You have to believe me, sir –"

"You were told to not come down here, yet you did. How are we supposed to believe your oaths?"

"I won't tell. Just, _please_."

"The boy cannot be trusted." Abia shook her head and Lena's lips parted as she sucked in a gasp. Wh – What were they doing? Speaking about this boy's life as he sat before them, pleading for his very life? This, this was more than cruel. Eyes widening, she made a move to step forward when a hand wrapped around her upper arm, pulling her back.

"What do you say to that?" Bane asked the boy. Lena tried to move forward again. The boy, _his eyes_. They were the same color brown that Alexei's were. _His eyes._ No. _Please, _no."

The boy began to cry. Lena felt tears prickle her own eyes. _The color._

Bane's huge hands went to the boy's head. He soothed the hair back gently. Then, with a quick snap, his body went limp and Bane let go. Falling into the water behind him, Lena nearly screamed as he disappeared. _No_ – his eyes! _His eyes_. He had Alexei's eyes! No, no, no, _no. Please no. _

The hand that was wrapped around her arm hauled her backwards and she stumbled, unable to look away from Bane as she stumbled. Just before she was pulled into the hallway, she swore she saw Bane look back at her.

Her body was pushed up against a door before it opened and she nearly fell into the room. Someone caught her, and she wrenched away. "No! _Let go of me._"

"The boy – he is dead. There is nothing you can do about that now, do you understand? Lena, do you understand me?" Glennis wrapped his hands around her arms, shaking her. "Do you want to die? I know you miss your brother but suicide is not the answer. What do you think would have happened if you tried to stop him?"

"He – He killed that boy."

"And he will kill others if they see him. Bane has killed others before in front of your very eyes, what is so different about this one?"

Lena choked on her own tears. Hands balling up into fists, she looked up at Glennis. "He had Alexei's eyes – my eyes. That boy had our eyes."

Glennis was silent. He let go of her and Lena lowered herself onto one of the two cots in the room. Brining her legs up to her chest, she tossed away her sweatshirt and buried her face in between her knees. The boy's eyes wouldn't leave her. He would haunt her.

"Lena," Glennis said quietly, "you cannot stay here. You have to leave."

"I can't. Alexei wanted this."

"Alexei isn't here. He's dead. Do you think he cares what happens to Gotham?"

"He died to see Gotham fall. It is up to me to make sure that it does."

"Then you _must_ learn to control yourself better. You cannot continue to sulk and cry and _think_ of these people like that. That boy will not be the last to die. There are going to be many more. Possibly by your own hand. You need to accept this if you want plan on living to see your brother's dream come true."

Lena wiped at her eyes. "I know, it was just… He was like Alexei. Just like him. He was so young; just a child." She shook her head slowly and looked up at Glennis standing in front of her. "I did not sign up to murder children. They're that – _children. _They don't deserve to die like that."

"Then you need to leave."

"And where would I go? There is _nowhere_ for me."

"Well then it seems that you need to learn how to block out what happened today. Do whatever it takes to distance yourself between you and them. These _people, _these Gotham citizens, they're not your friend. Most would slit your throat for a few dollars in your pocket. Remember that. Now, I'm not condoning the killing of children, but what must be done _must_ be done. Try to think the same."

"And if I can't?"

"Then you'll end up just like that boy did. In the sewers."

* * *

When Lena saw Daggett for the second time, she thought that maybe she would be calmer. Less angry when she saw his richly decorated rooms. She wasn't though. With Barsad following her inside the apartment, Lena was filled with the vile feeling when she looked upon the penthouse. It seemed that witnessing the boy's death earlier only made looking at the better side of Gotham with more hatred than ever before.

_This _was what she was fighting against, she reminded herself. This was what she was trying to destroy. If she kept that in mine, maybe she could forget about the boy. Just maybe. It was a longshot, but she had no other choice. If she wanted to still be a part of this, then forgetting about the boy's death was the price she had to pay in order to keep her sanity. What was left of it, at least.

_"Once we get control over Gotham, I will make sure to smash every piece of furniture in this apartment" _Barsad growled, clearly still as uncomfortable as she was in the lavish home.

Daggett turned from where he was standing by the massive windows, coming towards them with a false smile on his face. "We meet again. I assume that our little plan with Mr. Wayne is being put into full effect as we speak?"

"Some of Bane's men are over there now getting the fingerprints from Ms. Kyle. It won't be too long now before Wayne Enterprises is in your hands." Barsad replied. Wayne, she knew that name. Bruce – was it? One of the wealthiest men in the states. Seemed that Daggett was suffering from money envy. Why? By looking around his apartment it didn't seem as if he needed any more money. In fact, he could probably use a bit less.

Gothamites. She almost snorted in disgust. Always wanting more, never willing to help the rest.

"Good." His smile broadened. "May I offer you two a celebratory drink?"

"Actually, I have some things that we need to go over about Mr. Wayne. If we could take this elsewhere?" Daggett's eyebrows lifted in curiosity before he nodded. Barsad turned and looked down at Lena. _"This is for his ears only. Stay here – it should not be too long."_

_"I understand."_ But she didn't. Why couldn't she go in with Barsad and know what was going on? She was just as much involved in this after all. Lena was risking her life just as much as Barsad was. Normally she wouldn't be perturbed at such things; in fact, she never cared for the missions she was sent on as wholly as she was now. Now she _wanted_ to know what was going on, especially what was going on behind closed doors. But she said nothing, and watched Barsad's back as he followed Daggett out of the room and into another.

"We poor girls have to take so much shit, don't we?" She turned, not expecting to hear anyone else. A girl with short blonde hair and thick brains let out a stream of smoke between her lips, chuckling as her cigarette dangled between two long, skinny fingers. "Didn't anyone ever tell them that secrets don't make friends?"

Lena looked her up and down, quickly realizing where she had seen the girl from before. "You're Daggett's daughter."

"You're a quick one, you," the girl mocked and sucked in another long draw.

"I was unaware that you were in town."

"Daddy likes to keep me a secret. If you've looked at any of the tabloids in the past few days though, you would have been made well aware of my arrival. What can I say? Girls like to party." She eyed Lena's scruffy appearance, taking in the baggy cargo pants, combat boots, and long black t-shirt. "Well, some of us do. I'm Amanda. You got a name?"

"Lena. I work with your father."

"Well no shit. _Who _would've guessed that? I take it that you're not a prostitute though. Too… unattractive looking. Wait, don't take me wrong you've got potential, girl, but…you're a little rough around the edges."

Lena didn't know whether to be insulted or what. "No, I'm certainly not a prostitute."

"Good because I really don't want to meet the girl that my dad likes to screw. Though I can't imagine him loosening his tie long enough to do anything. Guy's kind of a tight ass."

"I've noticed," Lena said, growing rather bored of the conversation now. Amanda seemed very… upfront.

Amanda went to the counter, stabbing the end of her cigarette into a bowl and tossing it in. "You have a weird accent. Where are you from?"

"Nowhere are around here."

"You're a little smartass."

Lena shrugged, glancing over her shoulder where Barsad was coming out at last. He gave a curt nod to her and signaled that it was fine to go. Over by the counter, Amanda leaned with one of her elbows on top and looked Barsad up and down.

"You didn't tell me you had any _friends," _she said with a broad smile. "Hi, I'm Amanda Daggett."

Barsad looked at her, blinked, and went to the door. Lena bit the inside of her cheek to keep from chuckling as she opened it and stepped inside the hallway, Barsad not too far behind her. "Looks like you made a friend." She elbowed him.

"I have more than enough friends." Barsad rolled his eyes. "I especially don't need one like _that_."

"Oh come on, she was…nice enough. And cute."

"I don't do _cute._"

"Then what do you do, Barsad?"

"I do _you_," he said with a grin and this time, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, that was probably a bit…cheesy, so to speak."

"More than a bit. Come on, we need to get back and make sure Abia and Pavov made it back alive."

"Well I certainly hope they did. It's not as if the whole bargain could have gone terribly wrong. Stryver is there, after all."

"What does that have to do with anything? The guy is not exactly a tough looking guy."

Barsad shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Daggett just kept assuring me that Stryver was there, keeping him updated, and believed that the transition would go smoothly."

"Then why in the hell are Bane's men there?"

"Bane... doesn't seem to trust Styver, Daggett, nor Ms. Kyle. Which is probably a good thing considering all of their track records."

Lena chuckled. "As if ours are any different?" Barsad looked at her sharply and she sighed. "Why does Daggett want Wayne Industries in the first place? It's not as if he's low on funds or anything." They were reaching the SUV now and she went around to the passenger side, climbing in just as Barsad was cranking the engine.

"_Money is power_, apparently. That's what he was telling me just a few minutes ago. You know how these rich people here are. They want _more, bigger, better, flashier_; nothing is ever good enough for them. They just continue to take and take until there is nothing left for anyone else."

She nodded, her own thoughts mirroring his. "Leaving nothing for the rest of us."

Barsad looked at her. "Having everything while we have nothing." Were they even talking about Gotham anymore?

"I wonder what life like that is like - having everything, I mean."

"Wouldn't it be a nice change for once?"

Lena stared out the window. "More than nice."

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the rather late posting. I was working on the final chapter to another fanfic but now that it is posted I'll probably be able to focus on getting this one completed. Thank you for reading!**


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